Inside the Outsider
by LegendaryMelody
Summary: Chelsea, an outsider Soc, is left alone and friendless when her mother dies until she meets Ponyboy Curtis who introduces her to his friends and family. Chelsea falls in love with one of them, and their love proves to be dangerous when someone is put in a dangerous situation. Rated T for language and violence. -I suck at summaries, check it out and I'll send virtual chocolate cake
1. Wishing you were somehow here again

**A/N: Hey guys! So if any of you reading this have read The Morning After Dark- a Vampire Diaries fanfiction-you'll know me. But to anyone else checking this story out! HELLO! My name's Melody and I love writing fanfictions. This is a particular one that I've been waiting to write for a while and after reading the book again and watching the movie I decided to go for it. This story will be updated every Friday-depending on my schedule and the more reviews-the faster I'll update. Anyways, please enjoy! This story is told in a series of flashbacks so if anyone gets confused; the paragraphs in italics are current time and anything written normally is a flashback. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders-all rights belong to S.E Hinton and others belong to their owners. I do, however own the characters; Vanessa Evans-Young, Peter Young and Marlene Isabella Chelsea Katherine Evans Young.**

* * *

_The sixteen-year-old girl sat in the waiting room nervously. Her jean-clad legs crossed, and her arms were folded across her chest to hold herself together. She had always hated waiting rooms, it was all too familiar… The long panic-stricken wait turns into mind-numbing boredom, relief then, overwhelming sadness. Her heart pounded loudly, combining with the clicking sounds emanating from the secretary's typewriter. What she wouldn't give to be anywhere but here…_

_The grey door at the end of the room finally opened and a balding middle-aged man stepped out. He looked around the room until his eyes rested on her. He smiled kindly and glanced down quickly at his clipboard._

_"Marlene?"_

_She stood up and walked towards him. He nodded and gestured for her to come inside the room and led her to a couch._

_"Make yourself at home Marlene." The therapist said with a smile as he sat down at the desk across from her._

_She flushed pink; "I go by Chelsea now."_

_He looked up at her and then back at his clipboard. "Alright," he said, scratching a note down._

_"Now let's get started, I would like to discuss with you the events which occurred last week and what lead up to them." He explained to her calmly._

_Chelsea panicked, "He's innocent! All of them are! I swear, I've already explained this to the cops and the court!"_

_The man's face remained impassive and when she finished speaking, he looked at her directly and used a soothing tone to speak to her; "I am aware you told your take on the story. However, the court has selected me to see if I can help you. The death of a loved one does bring out the worst in someone and maybe talking through this can help shed light on some things we've had trouble grasping."_

_Chelsea stared at him indignantly; "So you're basically going to make me pour my heart out to you and then tell the court everything I said?"_

_He smiled and shook his head; "Heavens no! That's against the law. I am simply going to see if I can dig up any repressed memories for you and help you make sense of this entire ordeal-then you may choose to present your thoughts in this case or keep them silent."_

_Chelsea looked down at her wavy mahogany locks, took a piece of her hair and curled it around her finger anxiously._

_The man's voice softened eve more to a tone that sounded as if he was speaking to a young child, "Ma-Chelsea, you've been through a lot these past few months. You've lost some people who you loved dearly and I want to help you because if you don't deal with these feelings now, you're going to snap and spiral into a depression. Please, just let me in, I can help you."_

_Chelsea looked up at the man. His words reminded her of something…_

**_"Please, talk to me. I can help you if you just let me in!"_**

_She wet her lips and began;_

_"It all started, on the day of my mother's funeral…"_

* * *

**Wishing you were somehow here again**

**Wishing you were somehow near**

**Sometimes it seemed, if I just dreamed**

**Somehow you would be here**

* * *

Marlene stared at the black coffin being lowered into the ground. It was covered in lilies-her mother's favorite flower, pictures of her mother and her-riding horses together, doing each others' make up when Marlene was 5, a family portrait, lyrics to a song Marlene wrote her mother on her birthday, origami and other things that were special to Vanessa Evans-Young during her life.

When it came time to toss dirt into the grave, Marlene pulled out the jar of sand from her dress pocket and emptied it on the coffin. The sand was from California-where her mother had been born and where Marlene and her mother spent the month of July every year together. She kept a jar of the sand because it was like magic-it reminded her of the wonderful time she spent with her mother-just the two of them.

Her father beside her casually threw a handful of dirt into his wife's resting place. He didn't bat an eye. Peter Young was a wealthy industrialist. He was the CEO of a popular publishing company and as a wealthy business man-he knew to never show his emotions in public because it would reflect badly on him and his company. He taught his wife and daughter to do the same; to bury their emotions while in public-which is why her father refused to show the sadness he felt.

Marlene on the other hand couldn't keep herself as poised as her father and the minute her mother's casket had shut she began to sob uncontrollably. Her father took her hand in his, which the rest of the crowd saw as a comforting gesture. Marlene however, knew by the pain in her hand at her father's tight grasp that he was giving her a non-verbal warning that she needed to pull herself together but she knew she couldn't.

The day her mother fell ill, she never accepted it. She refused to accept that her mother, the strongest person she had ever met, was going to die because it didn't make sense to her. Her mother was her whole world, the person she was the closest to and the only person who understood her. The idea of her not being there, had never occurred to Marlene, or perhaps it had and she never thought of what would come after that.

That was why she couldn't prevent the tears from ripping through her throat and why she couldn't pull herself together like her father wanted.

He leant to her side and whispered into her ear; "Get out of here, you're ruining your mother's funeral. Come back when you can face everyone without crying like a child!"

Marlene wanted to argue that she was still a child at sixteen but decided against it. Instead she nodded at her father and ran away from the procession as fast as she could. Her father's explanation to the guests of where she was going.

* * *

Marlene ran. She ran faster than she'd ever run in her life. She knew she needed to get out of there, to go someplace where someone wouldn't recognize her and where she could be alone-the lower East side of town.

The minute she could not run any further she came across a small park in a lower class neighborhood. Marlene walked to the fountain in the center of the park, and sat down on the lip of it.

She rested her curly-haired head in her arms and sobbed. Her mind having realized now that she was never going to see her mother ever again and her heart breaking at this thought. She thought about all the memories she had with her mother; the times she would come from school upset and her mother would cheer her up, going horseback riding with her mother through the country, her mother teaching her how to bake, her mother laughing at her own jokes, her mother lively, her mother happy, her mother selfless, her mother holding her together, her mother.

Marlene cried until her throat was dry from crying so hard. She looked up at the sky and saw the sun setting in the distance. She remembered what her mother used to tell her about sunsets;

"They're like big changes or new beginnings. It may be sad, but that's the way things are Chelsea, when it feels like the end it's really just the beginning of something beautiful."

Marlene finally understood what her mother was trying to tell her and knew she needed a new beginning; starting with her name. Marlene was the name her father picked for her, she thought it was a pretty name but it conjured memories of pain and anguish she'd rather forget. Chelsea, her middle name, was the name her mother preferred to call her when she was alive. And Marlene always liked that name; it made her think of the beach and the shells she would collect with her mother.

There, she thought, I'll be Chelsea now, a happy-go-lucky, funny, friendly, sweet, confident and empathetic person.

The hard part was figuring out how to start being happy… Already, she imagined what her mother would say if she was still there. A form of her mother materialized beside her. She wore her mahogany hair plaited back into a French braid-the same color as Chelsea's hair and wore a sea-foam colored riding jacket-a birthday present from her father when she got married, and her brown leggings with dark leather boots.

"Chin-up Chelsea, I know it's tough love, but you can make it through it. Show everyone the strong girl you are and always remember I love you. If you love me darling, you'll smile for me."

Chelsea grimaced at first but then forced her lips to turn further upwards into a weak smile.

"That's my girl." Her mother added smiling at her daughter and vanished with the shout from outside their bubble of safety.

"GET BACK HERE GREASER! I WANT TO TALK TO YA!"

The teary eyed girl frowned, glanced in the direction of the noise and watched a band of Socs chasing after a greaser boy.

At first, she didn't want to interfere. The guys fought their own battles as well as the girls but it was something in the boy's expression that made her want to help him. He looked so scared, lost and alone and she realized all the emotions clear on his face were what she was feeling. So she acted quickly, wiping the tears from her face and rushing towards the group of Socs who had gathered around the fallen boy.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE!" She cried as loudly and authoritatively as she could, panicking when she saw the flash of a switch blade against the boy's neck.

The Socs seemed to not have heard her until she launched herself at the one holding the switch blade, knocking it out of his grip onto the pavement. She held tight to his back to prevent him from hurting the boy he had pulled the blade on.

"Get the hell off of me you slu-Marlene?" the boy she was on top of cried out once she had jumped off him.

Chelsea's hazel eyes widened when she recognized the curly-haired Soc in front of her.

"What are you doing baby? Why do you care about this load of grease?" he asked calmly kicking the boy on the ground when he said the word 'grease'.

"I am not your baby Randy, and I never was. Now get away from me and leave this poor boy alone you bully!"

His posse had stopped and stared at Marlene the second she dared to knock the blade from his hands. They stood in fear of the angry girl, they knew her father's reputation of no-nonsense and knew he practically owned each and every one of them with the amount of money he had. Everyone feared him and yet tried to cuddle up to him every chance they got. They all knew attacking his only daughter would not put them in a good place for their future and it was for that reason Chelsea had no real friends. Everyone was too terrified to offend her and thus offend her billionaire father who had a reputation of being a tough man who could bring a worker to tears by coffee break.

Rumors around the school were that his daughter was the same way, and judging by the threatening look on her face at the current time-the boys were beginning to believe the rumors.

"Come on Randy, we don't wanna start no trouble. You want this grease Marlene? Then you can have him." One of the boys said as he backed away from the furious girl.

Randy scoffed at her intimidating expression but fell to the peer pressure of backing off with his lackeys and accompanying them back to his car, which was about a block away.

"Lousy assholes…" she muttered as she watched them leave with her hands on her hips.

"Wow! That was amazing!" chirped the boy who was still on the ground. He gazed up at his savior in awe and she couldn't help but smile at him.

"That was nothing, you should see how they act when we're all at school," she shrugged before reaching out a hand to help the boy up, "my name's Marle- I mean Chelsea. Call me Chelsea."

The greaser smiled and took her hand, "I'm Ponyboy." And she pulled him to his feet.

The girl's eyes widened; "That is… the most creative name I've ever heard."

Once Ponyboy was set on his feet he replied; "Yeah well my dad was a creative person."

Chelsea frowned, "Where's your dad now?"

"Heaven," he sighed, "my parents died in a car crash a few months ago."

"I'm so sorry, at least they're in a better place now and you'll see them again someday." She said sympathetically.

"Thanks but I don't need no pity from a Soc." He mumbled while aiming his frustration at kicking a pebble on the ground.

She smiled sadly, "Oh Ponyboy, it's not pity. I lost my mama too, I miss her a lot too but I know she'd want me to get on with my life and make the best of things-I bet your parents would want the same for you."

Ponyboy's green-gray eyes widened in surprise and a faint blush appeared on his cheeks; "Sorry, I didn't know you lost your mom. I just thought you being a Soc and all that-"

"That my life is perfect? Far from it. Socs just pretend to have their lives together. That's why we're supposed to hate greasers. You guys are allowed to show your emotions and you don't have standards to live up to."

He frowned mulling her words over in his head; "I never thought of it that way, but we have standards to live up to, too and you don't see me picking fights with Socs."

"I know. It's completely unfair. I hate them Ponyboy, I really do. I can't stand any Socs; they all judge you before you they even get a chance to know you that's why I don't bother talking to any of them. Anyways, it's getting dark, I'll walk you home."

Ponyboy showed her where he was heading and explained he had just come from a movie at the theatre called Gone With the Wind. He happily admitted he'd seen it three times already and was extremely enthusiastic when he found out she had seen it once and read the book many times.

They both realized how alike they were, despite the fact they were from opposite sides of the neighborhood-they had similar dreams and thoughts. Chelsea loved horses, books, paintings, poems and sunsets. Her favorite subjects were English and History and Ponyboy felt the same way. They both laughed in realization that they were in the same Biology class last semester and didn't even know.

"You were the boy who pulled out his switch blade to dissect a frog right?" she asked laughing and he blushed. "You scared half the class to death, it's because of you I got kicked out of class laughing so hard at those girls sitting near you who nearly wet themselves in fear!"

Ponyboy grinned at hearing this and suddenly felt pleased with himself. He liked this girl. He liked her a lot.

When they got to his house, Chelsea stood in the front yard admiring it.

"This is charming." She smiled. It was smaller than her house but it seemed much more open and friendly. It seemed to say, 'Come on in and stay awhile.' -Real southern hospitality.

Pony shrugged; "It ain't much but it's home."

"Pony! Where you been?" exclaimed an older boy as he ran towards them from across the porch.

Chelsea immediately saw the resemblance between them and deduced that they were brothers by their different stances. The older boy held himself stiffly, like a parent, while Ponyboy carried himself like a boy with his shoulders slouched back.

"I was at the movies," he mumbled.

The older boy shook his head; "No more going out just before dark, you need to be home by sunset from now on-you dig?"

Ponyboy nodded distantly and didn't meet his brother's eyes.

"I'm sorry, I never caught your name." The older boy said politely smiling at Chelsea.

"Oh, I'm Chelsea, I go to school with Ponyboy and I ran into him on his way home and we started talking." She explained lightly. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Ponyboy look up at her in gratitude.

"That's nice, I'm Darrel Curtis-Ponyboy's older brother. Would you like to come in? It's not everyday we meet Pony's lady friends." He said with a playful grin.

Ponyboy blushed and rolled his eyes; "It's not like that Darry. She's just a friend."

Chelsea looked out to the horizon and thought about what her father had said. She didn't want to come back yet and be in the house with all those strangers who only came to be close to her father. She looked back at the smirking elder Curtis and smiled politely.

"I wouldn't want to impose."

"It's no imposition miss, really. I just have a few friends over and really, the more the merrier."

Chelsea shrugged; " Alright then, I'd love to come in."

They led her into the house and from beside her she heard Ponyboy whisper; "Thanks for covering for me, I'd be screwed if you told him about me getting jumped."

"No problem," she replied and as they walked into the living room she met four pairs of eyes gawking at her.

"Umm, hi?" she said meekly, suddenly feeling self-conscious. Ponyboy and Darry were not the only great looking guys in this town.

There was a chorus of comments from three of the boys who shouted out phrases and questions rapidly managing to confuse Chelsea.

"Are you Marlene Young?"

"Why is there a Soc in the house Darry?"

"Is she a spy from the other side of town?"

"Y'all are out of chocolate cake."

Ponyboy, noticing the girl's anxiousness took her arm and pulled her into the kitchen while Darry went on to explain that Chelsea was just a friend of Ponyboy's and she seemed like a nice enough girl.

"Sorry about that," Ponyboy said as he opened up an icebox and produced a large chocolate cake, "the guys can be crazy but they're like family once you get to know them-honest."

Chelsea nodded and leant against the counter where he was cutting up the frozen cake.

"So you're friends with all of them?" she asked hoping he would introduce them to her.

"Yep," he answered, popping the p. He looked up at her and gestured at the black-haired shy boy sitting on the couch.

"That's Johnny Cade, he's one of my best friends. Sixteen years old and the shyest person you'll ever meet. He's like one of those puppies with sad eyes that get beaten by its owner."

She examined Johnny carefully from his greased back hair to the scar on his cheek. Ponyboy's description was true; when she looked at this boy she saw a terrified puppy that needed a home and a hug.

"That boy beside him is Dally Winston-toughest kid you'll ever meet. He was put in the slammer when he was ten and has been in and out ever since," Pony continued, "be careful around him, he's dangerous when he wants to be."

Chelsea noted the boy's steely expression and ill-humored face, just by looks she could tell he was not the type you'd see wasting his time in school. Dally looked up, catching her staring and she looked away feeling worried.

Ponyboy continued his description of each boy ending on the one named Two-Bit who wouldn't stop laughing and talking to the other boys.

"Is that why he's called Two-Bit? Because he talks so much?"

Her new friend just laughed.

He offered her a slice of cake and she took one happily before accompanying him in bringing the cake into the living room.

The boys trampled each other to grab a slice of cake-all except Two-Bit who-although Chelsea hadn't seen him take a slice-magically had one in his hand during the scuffle.

"Chelsea? I thought you're name was Marlene, Marlene Young?" he said between mouthfuls of the delicious cake.

She smiled; "My first name is Marlene but I prefer Chelsea."

He frowned; "What kind of a name is Chelsea?"

"What kind of a name is Two-Bit?" she retorted coolly.

The other boys snickered and Two-Bit smirked; "Alright, I'll give you that, but how'd you get the name Chelsea?"

"It's my middle name," she explained before taking a bite of her cake piece "or rather, one of my middle names. My full name is Marlene Isabella Chelsea Katherine Evans-Young."

Two-Bit paused for a moment and his eyes moved back and forth like he was thinking hard about something. He grinned triumphantly a few moments later and exclaimed; "Your initials spell MICKEY! Hahahahaha! I'm gonna call you Mickey Mouse from now on."

She laughed in amusement at this fact.

"M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!" He sang and everyone rolled their eyes and smiled.

He continued singing the theme for a good few minutes until Dally, who was sitting beside him, couldn't take another verse of the song and slugged him hard on the arm.

"What was that for?" Two-Bit muttered angrily rubbing his arm.

"For you to shut the fuck up-that's what it was for." He replied in a half-joking, half-serious way.

Two-Bit smirked; "What, I thought y'all loved Mickey."

"We do, just not when you sing the theme song over and over." Countered Steve, who was sitting alone on the armchair nearest to Chelsea.

He turned to her and flashed a dazzling smile, "Name's Randall, Steve Randall."

"Nice to meet you," she nodded at him before tilting her head in puzzlement.

"You don't happen to be dating an Evie Winters are you?"

Steve laughed; "Actually yes, I am. Why?"

"I thought you looked familiar! She was in my home economics class and we became friends. I remember once she came into class crying about how her boyfriend got hauled into the police station. She was really worried… I remember one day she ditched class to hang out with you and she showed me a picture of the two of you together."

He smiled; "That's my girl, she's a real sweetheart. Now that you've said that I think I remember her saying something about you-that you're nicer than everyone thinks you are."

"She's real nice, a good friend." _One of my only friends, _Chelsea thought.

"Steve?" chirped in Ponyboy, "is Soda working late tonight?"

Steve rolled his eyes annoyed; "Ya think? It's almost nine and he isn't here yet."

Ponyboy shrunk a little in his seat and Steve felt sympathy for the boy. "He'll be home around eleven if that helps."

Pony smiled, turned to Chelsea and told her all about Sodapop. How reckless, funny and understanding he was, and how he could make someone laugh with just a flash of his smile. Chelsea smiled at Ponyboy's words, it was clear he looked up to his brother and his brother cared a hell of a lot about him too. She thought this Sodapop boy-whoever he was-sounded like a real gentlemen and just from the stories Ponyboy told her about his brother-Chelsea could tell she liked him.

The night continued with jokes and laughter after Chelsea realized Dallas Winston had been the one to rear-end her father's limousine and gave her father a panic attack.

"That was hilarious! You should have seen the look on his face when he saw you driving away! 'FITLHY GREASERS! I'll get you if it's the last thing I do!'"

Dally snickered; "You weren't mad about the limousine getting smashed?"

Chelsea snorted; "Of course not, I hated that thing-it's like riding in a hearse. I like my mother's mustang better."

"Mustangs are tuff," said Johnny Cade with a shy smile, "What kind is it?"

"1964 Ford Mustang. You know that James Bond film-Gold finger? My mom is a big fan and we won an auction for the same model as it."

Johnny's brown-black eyes widened in wonder and they began discussing cars with everyone talking about

* * *

At around ten, everyone started heading home, Two-Bit chanting the Mickey Mouse Club theme song, and Steve asking Chelsea to come by the DX sometime to talk cars with him.

"I'd better head home," Chelsea sighed hoping by the time she got there those people would have left her house and she could sneak into bed.

She started to the door but was stopped by Dallas. "Where d'you think you're going?"

"Home," she replied annoyed as she continued trying to get past him.

"At this time of night? You're gonna get jumped or worse. Johnny, Ponyboy and I will walk you home won't we?"

Johnny hopped off the couch and nodded enthusiastically before walking over to where they were standing in front of the door.

"You coming Pony?" asked Johnny with a small smile.

Ponyboy looked pleadingly at Darry who sighed and placed a hand on his youngest brother's shoulder; "Alright but you stay with Dally and Johnny. If I find out you've been wandering off you won't be allowed to go to another movie for as long as you live-ya dig?"

Ponyboy groaned; "Yes Darry, I get it. And can you let go of my arm, you're hurting me."

Darry moved his arm away as if it was on fire and sent them off. "Chelsea? Feel free to come by whenever you'd like. Our door is always open if you need a place to crash or need someone to talk to."

She smiled; "Thanks Darry, and thanks for having me over."

He told her that it was no problem and she headed out with the boys. The walk to Chelsea's house was about a half hour but it felt longer with the freezing cold. She huddled herself closer to Ponyboy and Johnny who were standing on either side of her. She didn't understand it but boys seemed to radiate heat, they were always warm and Chelsea was grateful for that at the moment.

Ponyboy told her more stories about Sodapop and how he felt as if Darry didn't understand him. She listened to him and tried to get Pony to see how lucky he was that he had an older sibling who cared about him but he dismissed it.

When they reached Chelsea's home-the gated entryway the boys gazed at her home in awe. It was the size of three of Ponyboy's houses put together and had a beautiful garden and large land plot.

"It looks like a countryside mansion." Ponyboy breathed and Chelsea smiled bitterly.

_More like a countryside prison_, she thought as she remembered the horrors, which had occurred behind those beautiful brick walls.

"Fuck! I don't have my key." She cursed angrily as she stared at the gate in front of her.

Dally, impressed by her cursing, pulled out a Swiss army knife from his leather jacket pocket.

"Allow me," he said in mock sincerity as he picked the lock until the gate gave a shudder and opened.

"Thanks but I'm already over." She replied sheepishly.

Dallas looked up in astonishment as Chelsea leapt down from the top of the fence-she'd climbed over herself!

He stood there slack-jawed making Ponyboy and Johnny laugh softly at his expression.

"You ain't half bad-for a girl Soc that is." He smirked crossing his arms.

Chelsea raised her eyebrows; "And you ain't half-bad either, Greaser." She copied him by crossing her arms.

Dallas cocked an eyebrow at her and smiled; "I like this broad." He said turning to Ponyboy and Johnny who smiled back in agreement.

She smiled; "I'll see you guys around," she said waving farewell, re-locking her gate and going inside.

"Ponyboy, hold on to this girl, or I might just have to steal her from you." Dallas said clapping the younger boy on the back as they headed back to the Curtis home.

* * *

Chelsea slammed the door behind her as she entered her home. Luckily, it was empty so she wasn't forced to socialize with those… money-grubbing suck-ups. She walked into the living room and stumbled upon her father fast asleep on the couch, fully dressed, cuddling a whiskey bottle against his chest.

She stared at him and felt sixteen years worth of anger consuming her. Her father was not the man he pretended to be for the media. He wasn't a down-to-earth, average American; he was a first-rate jackass, an alcoholic and abusive parent.

When he was upset he would drink until he passed out and at a certain point, his anger wouldn't drown in his drink fast enough and he'd seek out Chelsea and beat her. Every time she heard him call out; "MARLENE!" she knew she was going to get beaten. She could try to run and hide but he always found her, always. He'd drag her away from whatever she was doing and yell at her until she couldn't take anymore of it and she'd snap-twitch, wince, yell back, try to escape and he'd beat her until she wished she could just pass out from the pain. Then he would leave, as quickly as he came-leaving his bruised and broken daughter half-dead, bleeding out. That was when her mother would come in, she'd pick Chelsea up from the ground and hold her, and she'd reassure her that her father loved her but he had a hard time expressing it. She'd then let her watch cartoons and eat cookies while she tended her wounds. It was lucky Vanessa was a qualified nurse or there would be many embarrassing hospital trips. It was also fortunate Chelsea had learned how to cover up the cuts and bruises so no one would notice.

Chelsea didn't know what she'd do without her mother there to help her and she felt faint. She was the woman of the house now and she had responsibilities to take care of. She took off her father's shoes, covered him with a nearby blanket, tilted him onto his side so he wouldn't choke to death on his own vomit-and wrench the empty whiskey bottles away-the same way her mother had always done before her.

Chelsea threw them into the garbage bag; she heard the satisfying crack of broken glass and smiled. She then headed upstairs to her bedroom to get to sleep. That night, she wasn't crying herself to sleep like she had every night since her mother died a month ago-she looked out the window to the starry night sky and spoke to one of the stars. She had believed since she was a child that when a person died they became a star in the sky.

**_"I miss you Mom, but I'm going to be okay-for you. I'm going to live my life for you because I love you Mom. Thank you for sending me Ponyboy."_**

And for the first time in years, Marlene-now Chelsea fell asleep with a smile on her lips.

* * *

**A/N: So? What did you guys think? Please leave a review below and I'll try to reply to them as best I can. Also-there may be references in here to songs or items that didn't exist during their era-because I believe S.E. Hinton set in around 1967 but thanks to the movie, a lot of 80's references will show up so just trust me on this. Please leave a review! Give me critic (constructive please-I do have feelings), praise or advice. Thank you! I hope you guys enjoyed and thanks for reading! :D**


	2. True Colors

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers, thank you for the reviews and I'm sorry I'm late with this. I went to a party and now I'm really sick so I've had a little time to work on it. I really hope you guys enjoy and thank you so much for taking the time to read this-it means a lot.**

**Also, you may find sometimes I will quote the book directly, I won't point it out because I find it distracts from the story so if you find some phrases from the books-gold star for you! :)**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing except for my character Chelsea. All right belong to their owners and especially the talented S.E Hinton.**

* * *

Chelsea spent the next few months hanging out with Ponyboy and his friends. She even spent some one on one time with most of the guys. She went to an auto show with Dally, out drinking with Two-Bit, the Dingo with Steve and Evie, and even a concert with Darry. She favored Ponyboy's company above all though, around him she could be herself and they could simply lay down on the grass in a meadow and tell each other stories. A memorable story idea was when Chelsea told him about a book series she read called the Chronicles of Narnia.

"Each story is about this magical world called Narnia and they find a way to go into it. In the first book, a boy and girl find these magic rings and a magician has them go into Narnia and they meet and evil witch, a lion and there's a lamppost that grows from the ground!"

Chelsea and Ponyboy lay in a field by the park staring up at the cloud-filled sky. Pony had confessed to her that he sometimes didn't like living in Tulsa and that he wanted to move somewhere else to which Chelsea suggested they move to Narnia. Little did he know, she sincerely meant it.

"I'd like to go there." Ponyboy sighed.

"Me too, but we can always pretend we're there."

Ponyboy propped himself up on one arm. "What do you mean?"

"We can just forget everything and pretend we're in Narnia. Look in that corner? Do you see it? It's a satyr and he has a bunch of wrapped boxes-they look like Christmas presents." Chelsea exclaimed, jumping to her feet.

"Chelsea-what are you…"

"C'mon Ponyboy! I think he saw us…" She slowly walked away from Ponyboy as if she was in a trance.

Ponyboy shrugged and got up to go after her. Together they made up a story where the satyr led them to a magical palace overlooking the sea to meet the Kings and Queens of Narnia.

And for the first time in a long time Ponyboy actually felt happy and excited. Sure, it was silly to play with imaginary friends but at the same time-it was liberating. He really could see everything Chelsea described and they were in their own little safe world where there were no greasers or Socs, just talking animals, dwarves and Kings and Queens. He felt as if he was living in one of those adventure stories he'd read about as a little kid. He was a knight and Chelsea was a powerful witch who helped him save the kingdom from a terrifying beast.

At the end of the game Chelsea and Pony fell down on the grass laughing-back to where they'd been and they watched the sunset.

Ponyboy rolled onto his left side to look at the girl beside him. "Chelsea?"

"Mhmm, " she replied keeping her eyes shut.

He stammered, "This might sound crazy but… even though we're way too old for this type of thing. I had a lot of fun doing it, it was like we were writing our own movie and it was great."

She smiled, her eyes still closed, "me too Pony, it's nice to get away from it all huh?"

He nodded; "It's funny, I could talk to Johnny or Soda about stuff like this but even they'd think I was nuts. You're the only person I could ever do this with, you're my best friend Chelsea."

Chelsea's eyes fluttered open at this and she turned her head to face the boy's grinning expression. She felt her throat tighten.

"You're my best friend too, Pony. " she choked.

He looked at her concerned. "Why are you crying? Are you upset?"

Chelsea wiped the tear cascading down her left cheek with her backhand and laughed, "I'm not upset, these are tears of joy because... I've never really had a best friend before, or even a friend to be quite honest. I'm a loner and I never thought I'd ever find a friend in this world."

She thought about the Socs. None of them were really her friends. A friend is someone you can talk to about almost anything, someone who actually talks back as opposed to acting like a frightened animal and distancing themselves from her. Sometimes Chelsea thought she was like a wild animal, the way she repelled people. A simple question like; "Do you have a pencil I can borrow?" would result in a Soc chucking a pencil at her then shrinking in fear that they might have offended her by acknowledging her presence. She was an isolate. She had no real friends from the past, no birthday parties, no sleepovers, nothing.

She sat up onto her knees and brushed the grass off of her short coral sundress. While Ponyboy sat up as well and smiled. "We'll you've got me now, and the rest of the gang adores you-except Sodapop cuz he hasn't exactly met you but I'm telling you if he did he'd love you! You're like family to us all and-"

Ponyboy couldn't finish his sentence because at that moment Chelsea had thrown her arms around him-cutting him off.

He didn't know what to do but he figured patting her hair would help so that's what he did; one hand hugged her back while the other pet her hair. When she hugged him he had an odd feeling in the pit of his stomach; it was like when he was nervous for a test or a project but it felt good, somehow. His heartbeat quickened and he smiled.

* * *

From that day on, Chelsea and Ponyboy would meet at the meadow near the park and escape to Narnia when the other was having a bad day. If Ponyboy got into a fight with Darry, he'd call Chelsea from the nearby payphone and she'd meet him there so they could escape together-it never made sense to go without the other. As for the rest of the group-they had no idea what was going on. Once Johnny walked by them playing and he sighed sadly, he would never admit it out loud but he felt like Chelsea was stealing Ponyboy and the rest of the gang away from him. It made him upset to think that now she was the pet, she was the one getting most of the gang's attention because she was a Soc. Johnny disliked her, he thought she didn't like him either because they were competing for Dally's respect and Ponyboy's friendship. Sure she was sweet, understanding and pretty but he didn't get why the gang liked her so much. He ignored her at group gatherings and she seemed to have this burning desire for everyone's attention, or at least that's what it looked like to Johnny. Sure, he didn't hate the girl, but he didn't care for her either.

* * *

The weeks passed faster and faster, Chelsea was spending so much of her time with Ponyboy that she was barely ever home. Her father was oblivious to this because he was either; too drunk to remember she existed, or at work when she was gone. But she had to be home every weekend otherwise her father would beat her excessively for leaving him.

* * *

On a cold Saturday morning, Chelsea hummed to herself as she walked into the lower east side of town. The sidewalks were not as perfectly kept as the ones on the upper west side which was why Chelsea was having a good time hopping on the dead, crunchy leaves which littered the sidewalk. In her hands she balanced a giant chocolate cake which she promised she would bring Ponyboy to cheer him up about a bad fight he had gotten into with Darry the previous day. She hated seeing Ponyboy upset and planned to surprise him that Saturday with chocolate cake while they watched Mickey Mouse. She was lucky her father had been called into the office for an emergency for the weekend otherwise she'd have to wait until school on Monday.

Ugh, school… she thought grimacing at the thought. Unlike the other Socs who alienated the greasers, Chelsea sat with Ponyboy, and Johnny at lunch, she'd walk with them to their classes, wave at them when she saw them in the halls and once even playfully pushed Ponyboy into his locker when his back was turned to her. The Socs found this behavior highly irregular. They began talking about her behind her back, excluding her from their parties and calling her a 'dirty greaser.' Sure she acted like she didn't give a fuck, but the truth was, it hurt. The names they would call her made Chelsea almost wish they would pretend she didn't exist again. She desperately wanted their approval, she didn't care about being popular but she only wished for people to care about her. The only Soc that actually made semi-conversations with her was Cherry Valence. Chelsea wouldn't say Cherry was her 'school buddy'- a friend at school but nowhere else but she was pretty damn close. The girls only, if ever, talked about school and parties-which Chelsea did not enjoy but Chelsea saw something in the redhead, something like inner turmoil in her green eyes. Chelsea had never explored it but she was pretty sure Cherry didn't like being a Soc as much as she led on that she did.

Chelsea sighed and when she reached the Curtis residence, hopped up the steps to open the door. But before she could, he overhead people talking on the roof.

"I don't know what do to do Darry, I don't know what she wants from me anymore."

Chelsea looked up and saw the back of Soda who was pacing along the rooftop while Darry was re-tiling it.

"Little buddy, you're making me nervous walking all over the place up here. I'm sure whatever Sandy's doing she has her reasons, now pass me that nail." Darry replied as he wiped a bead of sweat from his brow.

Sodapop sighed in defeat and bent down to grab the hammer just as Darry turned his head and did a double take when he saw Chelsea standing at porch holding a chocolate cake.

"Hey Chelsea, brought us something to eat?" he asked with a smile.

The girl's face flushed when Darry saw her. 'Oh, God, I hope he doesn't think I was spying.'-she thought.

"Is that Chelsea?" came the voice of Sodapop beside Darry. He turned around and Chelsea's heart skipped a beat.

'Holy shit… It should be illegal for someone to be that good-looking dammit.' She thought. She had never gotten used to his amazing good looks.

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes widening at her and his handsome lips curling into an adorable smile. She felt herself smiling back unconsciously and her heartbeat accelerated rapidly. She felt electricity in the air and for a moment there was only her and this gorgeous boy in the world.

"Earth to Chelsea? Gosh, you're as empty-headed as Ponyboy nowadays…" Darry said rolling his eyes at the girl's absent-mindedness.

She came out of her stupor and looked back to Darry. "Sorry, yes. I heard Ponyboy was feeling out of sorts today so I figured some cake might cheer him up."

"That's mighty sweet of you, only Pony went off to see some Paul Newman movie, so you're stuck with me!" Sodapop said as he leapt down from the roof to land beside her.

"Sodapop Curtis, are you insane!?" she laughed as he tackled her into a hug.

"I'm so glad you're here! I need to talk to you." He exclaimed grabbing her hand and pulling her off of the porch.

"Wait! The cake dammit!" she exclaimed forcing him back onto the porch.

He quickly grabbed the cake, opened the front door and chucked it inside. Luckily, Dally happened to be standing in the doorway and caught the cake dumbfounded just as Soda slammed the screen door shut and dragged the shocked Chelsea away from the house hearing Dallas' cursing fade away.

She smiled to herself at Soda's actions. He'd always been crazy and exciting to be around ever since the day she met him.

She remembered coming to the Curtis house a few weeks ago to meet Sodapop for the first time.

* * *

**Walking in the door she figured Ponyboy was gone because he wasn't sitting at the table doodling, or reading like he normally was when she came over.**

**She had come inside to see a boy watching television, she didn't know who he was until he turned and looked her in the eyes. He had Darry's brown eyes but they were softer almost, and bigger.**

**"Hi there, you must be Chelsea. My kid brother never shuts up about you." He said bluntly, with a smile.**

**She couldn't help but smile back, it was all she could do to prevent herself from drooling at his amazing good looks. The boy was so gorgeous he should come with a warning label. Especially with that adorable grin on his face.**

**"He's not here now but you're welcome to stay here until he shows up."**

**Chelsea shook her head, "That's okay, I guess I'll head home, I have to-are you watching Mickey Mouse?"**

**He turned to her with an incredulous look on his face, "Of course! I love Mickey Mouse it's my favorite show in the world!"**

**Chelsea laughed, "Me too! You know what, I might as well stick around then."**

**She sat down in the armchair beside the couch where he was sitting and together they watched Mickey Mouse, laughing and joking around. They talked about Disney movies and Chelsea admitted that Snow White was her favorite Disney movie. Soda laughed because it was one of his favorites also.**

**"Hey Chelsea, we're like the seven dwarfs and you're Snow White." He replied from his position hanging off of the couch-that boy could just not sit still.**

**"What do you mean?" she asked cocking her head at him.**

**"Think about it, Pony is Sleepy because he's always in dreamland, Dally is Grumpy-but don't tell him that, Johnny is Bashful cuz he really is, I'm Happy, Two-Bit is Dopey, Darry is Doc because he's the unofficial leader, and I guess Steve could be Sneezy." He chuckled.**

**Chelsea just laughed along with him-the idea was ridiculously funny and she couldn't help but picturing them with their little pointy hats and beards.**

**Darry came through the door, tired from work to find them laughing and shook his head.**

**"How did I know that when the two of you met you'd never stop laughing?"**

**"Darry!" exclaimed Chelsea between bouts of laughter, "Soda said we're all Snow White and the Seven Dwarves."**

**He frowned and after Sodapop explained, he rolled his eyes at them. "You two are incredible…" he replied sarcastically as he went into the bathroom to take a shower.**

**"Ah well, I guess some people can't take a joke Chels, this'll be our little secret joke." Sodapop said with a wild grin.**

**She smirked and nodded. For the rest of the night they joked around and laughed about Disney, Mickey Mouse and by the time Ponyboy came home, they were rolling on the floor laughing.**

**All Ponyboy said was, "I see you've met my brother."**

* * *

"Chels! You there?" Soda asked, waving his hand over her face.

She blinked, "Yes, sorry what were you saying?" she looked around and realized they had walked pretty far from the house.

"Boy, Darry is right, you're just as dreamy as Ponyboy."

She shrugged and smiled, "Maybe that's why we're such good friends."

Soda looked to her with a cheeky grin.

"So, you know you've got my kid brother smitten."

"What do you mean, smitten?"

He scoffed, "As if you didn't already know. Ponyboy has fallen for you, hard. All he ever does is talk about you. I once caught him doodling your name on his homework page."

Chelsea turned bright red and looked abashed. She didn't want it to come to this, she loved Ponyboy but not in a way more than a friend really. Maybe she did have some unexplored feelings for him but she didn't want to ruin their friendship to ask him out and have it explode in her face.

"And you don't feel the same way, do you?" he said seriously, examining her worried expression.

She looked up at him, "I-I don't know what I feel for him. I do know he's my best friend and right now that's all I want from him."

Sodapop nodded, "I get it. You're just not ready to move up to the next step. That's okay; you'll come around eventually. Just like Sandy did."

Chelsea wanted to throw up right then and there. Her hatred for Sandy was hidden deep beneath the surface. Sure she'd smile politely when he talked about her but on the inside she was screaming. 'How the hell can he be so naïve? Sandy was the biggest slut in high school. She was one of those girls who flirted with everyone in sight. The Socs referred to her as the 'snake' from the way she coiled herself around people. She was also the biggest bitch at that school; topping even Marcia who Chelsea disliked immensely for her dishonorable acts, mainly stealing other people's boyfriends because she couldn't get one of her own.

Sandy was one of the girls who called her an emotional retard when she found her in the school bathroom bawling her eyes out the day after her mother died. Sandy told her no one liked her at the school and no one even gave a damn about her mother because she wasn't important like her father. Chelsea remembered hiding in the bathroom stall for the rest of the day because she didn't want to face Sandy and her little wannabe friends. Those girls all wore way too much make-up, swore in every sentence, showed up to school everyday either drunk or hung over. They acted like they owned the school even though they were greasers and the Soc cheerleaders could squash them like a bug. Sandy was the biggest bitch ever; she was the kind that would actually jump Soc girls with a switchblade for really doing nothing more than smiling at her.

Soda continued, "I liked her for a long time. Then after I dropped out of school to work full-time at the DX, she started hanging out there more often and she agreed to go out with me."

Chelsea grimaced, "Well I'm glad you two got together."

He shrugged miserably, "Thanks I guess, but I'm not really sure what's going on. That's what I wanted to talk to you about. She doesn't want to really see me or anything now and I don't know what to do."

She reached over and put an arm on his shoulder, "Just be there for her, let her know that you care about her. That's all a girl could ever ask for."

Soda grimaced at her, "I hope so, I'm just worried that one day she's gonna wake up and see how much better she can do than me. I'm just a high school drop-out, there's no future with me."

"Don't think like that, you're a great guy Soda, and she should be the one worried about losing you."

Her hazel green eyes met his brown and he saw the earnest there. She smiled, blushed and looked away at his grin.

"HELP SODA, DARRY, ANYONE!" Screamed Ponyboy's voice from across the street.

Soda's eyes widened in fear and anger when he turned to see a pack of Socs beating on his kid brother.

"Ponyboy!" he cried.

Chelsea's looked over to the pack in panic, "not again," she hissed as she began to run over to where the Socs were.

"Wait Chelsea!" Soda yelled pulling her back, " I ain't lettin' you get hurt. I'll help him, you run home and get the guys!"

Chelsea was about to open her mouth to protest that she could take care of the Socs herself but after seeing the fear in his eyes she bolted in the direction of the house as fast as her legs could carry her.

She bolted into the house to the surprise of the rest of the gang.

"Ponyboy is in trouble!" she shouted and in that instant everyone got up and followed her to where Soda was fighting the Socs.

She watched the boys attack the Socs and once they ran to their mustang she grabbed a huge rock and chucked it at the windshield as she shouted curses at the top of her lungs.

The gang followed her actions, except for Darry who was tending to the fallen Ponyboy.

Two-Bit attempted to slash their tires while Soda, Steve, Dally and Johnny threw punches through the cracked windows of the mustang as it drove away.

"You okay Ponyboy?" asked Chelsea turning to her friend.

"Yeah, I'm okay." He said calmly as he held his hand against his red raw cheek.

"You got cut up a little, huh, Ponyboy?" said Soda returning from the ongoing attack of the gang on the Soc mustang.

Ponyboy looked at him befuddled, "I did?"

"You're bleedin' like a stuck pig."

"I am?" he asked, his expression was completely dazed.

Chelsea pulled out a handkerchief from her red cardigan pocket and pressed the tip of it against his wound.

"Look," she told him, after she had pulled away the handkerchief. It had turned scarlet from the violent flow of blood.

"Did they pull a blade on you?" she asked.

He looked away from the blood and paled. "Yeah,"

Chelsea gave him a comforting hug and Soda put a hand on his shoulder, reassuring him that he was okay and that the Socs wouldn't hurt him anymore.

"I'm fine, " Ponyboy reassured them, "honest."

Soda smiled and rubbed his hair until it stuck out in wild directions.

He and Ponyboy joked around for a bit until the rest of the gang returned.

"Did you catch them?" Chelsea asked Dally who shook his head.

Two-Bit began cursing them out but stopped when he saw Ponyboy.

"You okay kid?"

"Yes, I'm fine." He replied irritably.

Chelsea knew he hated when people fussed over him because it made him feel like a baby.

"You look tough with those cuts Ponyboy." Two-Bit continued just before Darry began hounding Pony for being an idiot by not carrying a blade.

Soda defended him while Chelsea looked at her sad friend and mouthed, "I brought you some chocolate cake."

He grinned at her and began chatting with Dallas about going to the movies tomorrow night.

Steve told him that he was going out on a double date with Evie and turned to Chelsea.

"Evie wanted me to ask if you wanted to come but given the circumstances…" Steve whispered apologetically.

She nodded; Steve had discovered her dislike towards Sandy long ago.

"Would you like to come to the movies with us too Chelsea?" chirped Ponyboy from beside Johnny.

She looked from him to Johnny, to Dallas and from the slightly irritated expression on Johnny's face she could tell she wasn't wanted.

"Thanks but I've made plans to watch Mary Poppins tomorrow night on TV."

Johnny looked at her satisfied and turned to make conversation with a disappointed looking Ponyboy.

"Why can't you skip Mary Poppins and hang with us?" asked Dally between drags of his cigarette.

"Because, I've been waiting all week for it to be on TV and it's my favorite movie. Besides, West Side story is on after that."

Dally put his hands up in surrender, "I'm sorry I asked, have fun watching your fucking stupid movies."

She rolled her eyes at him and followed everyone else home. They all hung out laughing until dawn, when Chelsea collapsed on the couch instead of going home that night.

* * *

_"Maybe if I'd gone with them I could have prevented what happened."_

_"Prevented what?" asked her therapist shifting his weight in the chair._

_She looked him dead in the eyes._

_"The death of Bob Sheldon."_

* * *

**A/N: Sorry to end it there but I have a plan for the next chapter and it's taking a bit longer than expected to plot out. Please, please review! and thank you for reading! Your kind criticisms are taken seriously and compliments and opinions are much appreciated! Please take the time and review! thank you!**


	3. Lonely hearts

**A/N: Hello everyone! Sorry for the delay but I hope you enjoy this chapter-it's mostly fluff and bonding stuff. I promise there'll be a bit more action pertaining to the plot next chapter but for now please read and review! Thank you!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters except Chelsea. All rights belong to S.E Hinton and to their owners.**

* * *

Chelsea waved goodbye to Ponyboy as he left to meet Dally and Johnny to hang out before going to the movies. She walked back into the Curtis house and into the kitchen where Sodapop was currently mixing a new chocolate cake as the gang had eaten the first one yesterday (those boys had bottomless pits for stomachs)

"Soda, why is your cake mix purple? " She asked with an amused expression.

He looked at her, then down at the bowl, and back to her. "I don't know," he laughed.

She smiled and dipped her index finger into the bowl of cake batter. She pulled it out and sucked the purple substance off of her finger.

"It's ummm…" she choked, attempting to find the right words to say while grimacing at the awful taste.

Soda laughed again, "Boy, it must be really bad huh? I'll just toss it and we can start from scratch."

He then dumped the bowl's contents into the garbage and went on to gather the ingredients.

Chelsea furrowed her brow, confused, "We?"

Soda smirked, "It was your fault in the first place that we ain't got no cake. You made it so good the guys finished it within a half hour, now you gotta help me, teach me how to make a one like you did."

She grinned, "Okay!"

They started out with Chelsea listing off the ingredients they would need from scratch and she taught Soda that he should separate the dry and wet ingredients then add them to make the cake have a better taste and structure. Sodapop laughed at her particularism.

"You're a regular Julia Child, Chels. How did you become such a good baker anyways?"

Chelsea smiled at the compliment and explained how her mother had taught her how to bake and as good as the guys may think her cake is, her mother's was twenty times better. He listened to her talk about her mom and he understood and Chelsea felt like someone actually knew what she felt. Soda told her that he and his mom were really close too and when his parents died it really took its toll on him,

"I bawled like a baby for weeks after they died. Ponyboy kept having nightmares so I'd sleep with him and Darry-Darry wouldn't sleep. I'd find him wandering around the house aimlessly in the middle of the night-it was awful. He and dad were best friends, like me and mom-so I know how you feel. But hey, on the bright side-at least you've still got your dad."

Chelsea looked away from Soda's compassionate face and twisted her a lock of her hair on her ring finger.

"Yeah," she mumbled, still refusing to make eye contact with him. She didn't have her dad, not really. What kind of father would abuse his only child physically and emotionally the way he did. The way Chelsea saw it-she lost her father long before her mother was gone-and that was a secret she had never told anyone. Wanting something to occupy her, she turned on the mixer, which contained the dry ingredients.

"Wait the-"

A puff of white powder flew out of the mixer from the high speeds and covered Sodapop.

"Shit!" Chelsea exclaimed turning it off as fast as she could.

"-mixer is set too high." Soda finished.

"Soda," she began, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

While she spoke, Soda picked up an egg from the countertop beside him and cracked it over her head.

He grinned widely and Chelsea gasped before picking up a pinch of sugar and flicking it at him. Suddenly, an intense war broke out between the two of them with flour, sugar, salt and eggs flying everywhere. At one point Sodapop headed towards the opposite counter to grab the bowl of chocolate icing but Chelsea leapt on his back-causing him to bump into the counter in surprise and landing his face in the bowl of icing.

Chelsea leapt off of him laughing wildly and Soda turned around to glare at her jokingly. She grinned at him innocently and slipped her finger across his cheek, filing it with icing and put it in her mouth.

"Mmmm! Tasty." She smirked and Soda shook his head.

"You'll pay for this Young," and he grabbed the bowl of wet ingredients containing milk, eggs, vanilla and cooking oil.

Chelsea laugh-screamed as he raised it over his head with a determined expression to dump it over her head when suddenly the front door flung open, Steve and Two-Bit ran inside.

"What the fuck happened?" asked Steve looking over Chelsea with egg shells in her hair and Soda covered in flour, sugar and icing.

Soda opened his mouth to speak but Steve raised his hand and shook his head.

"I don't wanna know. Just get ready Soda! We have to pick up Evie and Sandy for the game."

Soda's eyes widened and he ran into the bathroom to wash his face and clean himself up. Steve ran after him, banging on the door repeatedly to rush Sodapop.

Two-Bit smiled at the mess in the kitchen and eyed Chelsea warily. "What DID you two do?"

"We were baking."

"I can see that but why dunk Soda's face into the icing and give him a flour bath?"

She shrugged, "He started it."

Two-Bit cocked his eyebrow at her but went over to open the fridge and grab himself a snack. "I'm headin' out to get smashed in a bit-you wanna come?"

Chelsea smiled and tapped her finger against her chin, "Let me see, would I rather watch my favorite movies on TV or watch you get so drunk you start lifting Soc girl's skirts up. Sorry Two-Bit, but I really love Mary Poppins."

Two-Bit shrugged; "Your loss little miss spoonful of sugar."

Sodapop and Steve entered the kitchen and paused to look at the two of them. "Okay, we're headin' out." Said Soda.

"Don't stay out too late young man," said Two-Bit in a deep voice.

"No drinking and driving or I'll kick your rear in, ya dig?" Chelsea added in a shrill voice.

Steve rolled his eyes ,"Don't wait up for us."

Soda grinned,"This isn't over Chels, I demand a rematch when I come back okay pal?"

Chelsea nodded and grinned cockily.

"Just go already!" Two-Bit groaned between bites of a sandwich.

The two boys smiled and left the house. Chelsea stood in the mess of the kitchen and looked at the bowl of icing with Soda's face outlined in it.

"I'll miss you." She sighed under her breath before beginning to clean up the mess.

Two-Bit frowned having heard her statement and thought about it deeply, wondering what Chelsea meant.

* * *

"I feel pretty! Oh so pretty!" Chelsea sang at the top of her lungs while Darry rolled his eyes and covered his head with one of the couch cushions.

Instead of going home to watch her movies, Chelsea had decided to stay at the Curtis' house because a) her father was still out-of-town and b) it was too quiet at the Young residence. Also c), the look on Darry's face when he saw her about to leave. He was upset, and lonely. She knew it wasn't because of her specifically, but rather he didn't like being alone in the house while his brothers were out because he would be filled with the pang of loss over and over again. Chelsea knew that was why he was upset-he didn't want to be alone with those haunting memories, so she offered to stay and told Darrel to relax and be cool for a bit while they watched her favorite tv shows. Darry liked Mary Poppins (although he wouldn't admit it, Chelsea heard him humming along with Supercalifragilisticexpialid ocious) but he seemed to find West Side Story unappealing for some reason. Chelsea supposed it was the long dance numbers.

"Oh come on Darry, you know you like this movie." She taunted and Darry groaned.

RING RING RING

Chelsea-the closest to the phone, picked it up while smirking at Darry from behind his pillow-shield.

"Hello, Curtis residence."

"Is this Darry?"

"No Dally," Chelsea replied, recognizing the voice on the other end as Dally, "It's Chelsea."

"Chelsea, I just wanted to-to ask you…" he slurred.

She frowned, "Are you drunk Dal?"

"If you and Darry'd like to come down to Buck's for a party." He finished smoothly, "got you didn't I? I bet you thought I was drunk."

Chelsea rolled her eyes, "Dallas, I'm in the middle of West Side story and I'm missing a really amazing dance number right now so unless you need help or something I'm going to hang up."

"'HEY WINSTON!' came a distant voice from the other end of the phone.

"Dally? What's going on?" she asked concerned at the anger in the voice.

"Nothin', just a score to settle with an old friend of mine, enjoy your movie." Dally said in a confident tone, before slamming the receiver down.

She shrugged, figuring Dally could handle himself-he was a big strong boy-she flopped back down on the couch with Darry who was actually watching the movie now.

"What's up with Dally?" he asked, not taking his eyes off of the television.

Chelsea sighed "he said something about us going down to Buck's for a party then someone else called him and I think he's going to have a fight with a friend or something like that."

"Oh." Replied Darry, mesmerized by the scene in front of him.

Chelsea looked at him with a small smile on her face.

"What?" Darry asked, frowning when he noticed her staring at him.

"Admit it, you like this movie."

He smiled, "Nope."

She cocked her eyebrows at him-a trademark she'd learned from Two-bit and stared him down. "Sure you do! I can see your face ya know. You're really getting into this movie and right now, you're suppressing the urge to get up and dance along with this song."

Darry rolled his eyes at this and responded with: "I don't even know how to dance Chelsea."

"Well I could teach you! It's simple really."

She got to her feet and reached her arm out for Darry to take. He stared at her for a moment but eventually gave in and took her hand to help get him to his feet.

She put an arm around his shoulder and the other held his hand. Once they were positioned, they smiled at each other and she nodded.

"Now just follow me; one, two, three. One, two, three, one, two, three." Chelsea lead and Darry followed her steps. Eventually, Darry took the lead, spinning her around the room as 'I feel pretty' continued in the background.

When the song ended, they both collapsed on the couch with grins on their faces.

"That was actually fun." Darry said, still smiling.

"Yeah, dancing is a lot of fun." she replied, adjusting herself on the couch so she was curled up against the armrest.

"Thanks Chelsea," Darry started, "thanks for staying with me tonight. It gets pretty lonely when Soda and Pony are out and I'm by myself here. So thanks, and I'll even admit-the movie ain't half-bad."

She smiled smugly at him, "I thought you'd like it and your welcome."

He shrugged and leant back to watch the movie.

"You know, you're a really good dancer Darry." She added, still looking him in the eyes.

He furrowed his brow, "Really?"

She nodded enthusiastically, "Yeah! You should, I dunno, become a dance teacher or something-you'd be really good at it!"

He laughed and rolled onto his side to watch the rest of the movie.

* * *

At the exact point when Tony came into the shop, Soda came sauntering through the front door.

He kicked off his shoes and continued his way over to the living room. "Hey Darry," he nodded solemnly at his elder brother.

"Chelsea," he nodded but did a double-take realizing what he had just said. "Chelsea? You're still here?"

She shrugged, "I figured one more night here wouldn't kill anyone."

Soda's sober expression lit into a smile and he hopped onto the couch between his brother and his friend.

"Awesome! What are we watching?"

"West Side Story" Darry mumbled.

Soda squinted at the screen confused and then glanced at Chelsea for information.

"It's the modern-day version of Romeo and Juliet with dance numbers and stuff." She explained.

He shrugged, "Sounds good to me, I guess I'll watch."

They all watched the movie in silence except for a comment from Darry every once in a while about the characters to Chelsea and the constant movement of Sodapop, who-at one point- was upside down on the couch. His head lolling off of the couch and feet in the air.

* * *

When the song 'One hand, one heart,' came on Chelsea could've sworn she saw Soda stiffen beside her and his face went from happy to blank. She wondered silently, if something had happened with him and Sandy that night. She decided to ask him about it later and once the movie end scene came on-Maria holding Tony's hand as he died-Chelsea began feeling sleepy. She felt her eyelids grow heavy and her head leaned to the side. She fell fast asleep, dreaming of girls and boys singing and dancing in the streets of New York. She dreamed that she was Maria and Tony was Dally dying in the middle of the street and woke with a start.

Her eyelids flew open and she blinked a few times to get used to where she was. She lifted her head and realized, she had fallen asleep on Sodapop! When she had first fallen asleep her head unconsciously lay on his shoulder and apparently he had fallen asleep too because they were both lying on the couch-her head on his chest.

"You What?!" Darry's voice echoed through the quiet house. Chelsea sat up on the couch and stretched, trying not to look at Soda-who was also waking up.

She gazed at the doorway where a panicked Ponyboy stood in front of Darry. His green-grey eyes were pleading with Darry to understand him.

Beside her, Sodapop rubbed his eyes and called out to his younger brother sleepily.

"Hey Ponyboy, where you been?"

Darry went on to yell at Ponyboy for what Chelsea assumed was coming home late, even though she had no idea what time it was but guessed from Darry's anger and frustration-it was pretty late.

"I didn't mean to, I forgot-that's all I ever hear out of you! Can't you think of anything?" Darry snapped, his tone causing even her to shiver in fear.

"Darry…" Soda started but Darry rounded on him and began chewing him out for sticking up for Ponyboy.

Chelsea felt upset, she hated seeing her friends angry and the look of fear and desperation on her best friend's face tempted her to get up and wrap her arms around him and tell him everyone made mistakes-it was just a fact of life. Then she wanted to tell him to get some sleep and forget about everything. She wished she could do this but she knew Darry would have a fit if she did so she kept her mouth shut and internally fought the urge to play peacemaker-which she would later regret insanely.

The loud slap of a hand upon flesh awakened Chelsea from her mental battle. Darry had just hit Ponyboy. Darry smacked Ponyboy across the face. She refused to sit by any longer. She didn't understand it. How could someone who could be so nice and funny a few hours earlier become so angry and scary now? What happened to the boy-just a few years older than her who missed his parents and didn't really know how to dance at first?

She launched herself from the couch to her fallen friend. "Ponyboy?" she asked putting a hand on his arm. No matter how badly Darry may think Ponyboy acted, it was never okay to hit and the scene unfolding in front of her was bringing up a lot of repressed memories for her.

He looked at her with huge eyes-those eyes that mirrored hers the first day her father struck her-and backed away from her like a frightened animal.

"I need to get out of here." He said in a voice so soft she wasn't sure if he had spoken at all before he took off out the door into the cold night, leaving them all frozen in shock.

"I-I-I didn't… mean to… I just…." Darry trailed off, still in surprise at what he'd done. He collapsed in the armchair behind him and Sodapop got up from the couch.

"Where did he go?" Soda asked Darry softly. He looked at him with patient eyes until Darry-after taking a gulp of air-replied that he had fallen asleep in the lot with Johnny.

Chelsea straightened up and grabbed her jacket "That's probably where he went, come on Soda we have to talk to him before-"

"Before what?" he asked running to her and putting his boots on.

"Before he does something he'll regret-like try to run away." She finished grabbing her friend's arm and pulling him out of the house.

They took off towards the lot but only to find it empty. Sodapop was beginning to worry, "Where else would he go!?"

She picked up a curl of hair dangling from her shoulder and twisted it between her fingers. She tried to think, using empathy-where would she go?

Her hazel eyes widened in realization; "Soda I know where he is!"

* * *

They walked, quickly, towards the park where Chelsea remembered running on the day of her mom's funeral. They said nothing and there was no sound except for the crunch of leaves beneath their feet and the puffs of air they each exhaled.

"Why would he go to the park?" Soda asked breaking the silence.

Her eyes flickered in the dark before she replied; "Because, it's quiet and it reminds people of their child innocence and because Ponyboy and I hang out there sometimes-it's where I met him."

He nodded listening to her story while trying to match her brisk pace.

When they finally reached the park Chelsea stopped to survey the area for any figures that could be Ponyboy while Soda went ahead to search the rest of the park.

"Pony! Ponyboy!" he called into the night.

"Where are you buddy?" she asked looking around the park-praying he was alright.

She was about to head to the nearby field where they played together but was interrupted by Soda calling her over.

"Did you find him?" she asked as she sprinted over to the fountain-which Soda was standing in front of.

"No," Soda answered as she came closer, "but I found someone."

Chelsea looked at the fountain and realized the water was scarlet instead of it's usual crystal color. She frowned but then saw the body of a soc hanging over the edge of the fountain, bleeding out like crazy.

Her stomach lurched. The scarlet was his blood. The Soc was dead, someone had murdered him and left him to die in the fountain, right where Chelsea sat that day…

That was the last thing she remembered before passing out...


	4. Half-Soc, half-Greaser

**A/N: Hello my lovely readers! Thank you for the reviews-due to personal issues I have not been able to write as frequently as I wanted to these past few weeks. Thanks to the break I'll be updating quicker-at least I hope so :) thank you for sticking by me and I hope you guys enjoy.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders, all rights belong to the genius S.E Hinton. I only claim Chelsea as my creation. All rights belong to their owners.**

* * *

"Is she okay?"

"What happened to her?"

"Chelsea are you arlight?"

"She fainted when she saw… the body."

Chelsea felt herself slowly regaining consciousness as her senses began gradually returning to her. She could smell eggs cooking nearby, she could feel the warmth of sunlight on her face and the softness of the surface she was lying on. She heard familiar voices whispering around her and she could still taste in her mouth the scent of blood in the air from when she was at the park.

"I know how to get her up." She heard a voice on her left say confidently.

The sound of shuffling steps came closer and suddenly she felt her nose being squeezed by someone's hand-closing off that airway.

Reacting instinctively, she swatted at the hand clutching her nose. The person let go instantly and a string of curses became audible as well as laughter echoing throughout the room.

"She's alright." A voice sounding like Dally's chuckled from nearby.

When Chelsea opened her eyes she realized she was lying in Sodapop's bed. Most of the gang surrounded her; Two-Bit, who was clutching his nose had been the one to take her hit. Steve and Soda were smirking beside him, Darry stood in the doorway with a laughing Dally.

"Good morning Darlin'" Soda greeted her jokingly while lending a hand to help her sit up in his bed.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes. "What happened?"

"When you saw that Soc's dead body you fainted. Soda had to carry you home from the park." Steve explained.

"Oh yeah…" Chelsea mumbled numbly remembering last night's events, "thanks for carrying me Soda."

He shrugged and replied that it was no trouble.

She smiled graciously at him but after noticing the heavy tension in the room, her light mood faded.

"Did something happen? Where's Pony and Johnny?" she asked, panic clear in her tone.

The boys exchanged worried looks and no one met Chelsea's desperate gaze until Two-Bit spoke;

"Chelsea," he began slowly, " what I'm going to tell you may come as a surprise but I'll try to keep it light. That boy you and Soda found, he was murdered… by Johnny and Ponyboy was there too. They've run off together and we have no idea where they are. They're wanted criminals!"

The girl's eyes widened in shock.

Steve shook his head; "Way to keep it light Two-Bit."

She felt her breath hitch and the blood drain from her face. Her friends were murderers, the quiet Johnny had killed someone-she didn't think someone could be capable of doing that. She refused to believe it, she wanted to find Ponyboy and hold him, tell him everything was going to be okay but she couldn't. She had no idea where they were and that frightened her. They could be dead in a ditch somewhere, or the other Socs might have found them and beat them to death already. They could be-Chelsea forced herself to stop thinking about it once she realized she was shaking.

"I'm sure they're fine Chelsea." Dally said looking her right in the eyes as he said it.

Two-Bit frowned; "What makes you so sure?"

Dally rolled his eyes; "Johnny's smart, he'll keep Ponyboy out of trouble. I'm sure they're just hiding out until this all boils over. Hell, I bet they're hiding out together in Texas-Johnny did tell me he'd always wanted to go there. Now if ya'll excuse me, I have a police interrogation to get to."

"Interrogation? Why are they hauling you in Dallas?"

"What do you mean Texas?!"

"What about Pony?"

Questions fired rapidly and everyone began arguing among themselves. All but Chelsea who found herself studying Dally intensely. He had a twinkle in his eye and a hint of cockiness to his smirk that suggested to Chelsea that he knew more than he was taking credit for. When he noticed her staring he winked at her and left the Curtis house.

She stared at the spot he disappeared from until Soda plopped down on the bed beside her having noticed her puzzled expression.

"What's up?"

She turned to him, "I think Dally is hiding something."

"What do you mean?" he asked furrowing his brow in confusion.

"He knows something. Where they are, or what they did to escape Tulsa. I just have a feeling he's not telling us something. He acted way too cool about everything."

"But Dally's always cool Chels."

She shook her head, "he wouldn't be about this. I believe if he didn't know anything he'd be as freaked out as the rest of us."

She gestured to Two-Bit, Steve and Darry who were shouting randomly at each other.

Soda stared at her, "Do you think he'll tell us where Ponyboy is?"

She smiled, "I have an idea."

* * *

"Chelsea, what are you doing here?" Dally asked.

She was standing on the doorstep of Buck's house. She wore a brown straight cut dress with black boots. Dally stared at her waiting for her to answer.

"I want to talk to you. About Ponyboy and Johnny."

He nodded, "Sure, come on in."

She twirled a lock of her hair between her fingers and stepped into the house. She'd made a plan with Sodapop. He would go off to work and she would question Dally before heading to school. At lunch, Two-Bit would drive her over to the DX and she would tell him everything Dally told her.

Dally shut the door behind her and ushered her upstairs to his bedroom through the pile of passed out guests from Buck's party the night before.

"What do you want to know?" he asked after they finally reached his room.

She crossed her arms, "You know something about them that you're not telling us."

Dally said nothing, he simply sat down on his bed and pulled out a pack of cigarettes from his jacket pocket.

"Want one?" he offered and she shook her head.

"You're avoiding the question." She added narrowing her eyes.

He lit his cigarette and attempted to blow smoke rings while Chelsea watched him impatiently.

Once he was finished he put out the cigarette in a nearby ashtray and smirked at her.

"You're more intuitive than people give you credit for. As a matter of fact I do know where they are and I'll tell you just like I told the police officer who interrogated me earlier. They ran off to Texas."

She cocked her eyebrows at him. "You're lying."

He turned to her looking mildly annoyed; "And what will it take to convince you I don't know anything"

She rolled her eyes and in her peripheral vision she spotted something familiar in the corner of Dally's bedroom. She walked over to the corner and picked up a grey sweatshirt. The exact one Ponyboy had been wearing last night when he ran away. She picked it up and held it up for him.

"This is Ponyboy's."

Dally said nothing but the expression on his face revealed what he thought-he was screwed.

"Why is this here and why is it soaking wet?"

He sighed and looked at her. "Alright, alright I admit it. I lied to you."

"Last night around 2:30 in the morning Johnny and Ponyboy came here crying about how Johnny killed a Soc that was trying to drown Pony in the fountain. They were really freaked out and came to me for a way to escape. I gave them a heater, 50 bucks worth of groceries and I told them where they could go. I can't tell you where they are because you might let it slip and we'll all be screwed but I promise I'm going to see them at the end of the week to check up on them."

She nodded as she listened to his story attentively. "I trust you Dallas, I know you'll take care of them."

He smiled genuinely for what seemed to Chelsea like a very rare occurrence. "Thanks," he mumbled.

"Can give you a letter for him?" she asked hopefully.

He shrugged, "Sure, but just don't tell anyone."

She bit her lip, " But can't I tell Soda?"

Dally looked into her pleading hazel eyes and groaned; "Fine but do not tell anyone else ya dig?"

She nodded slowly and promised not to tell anyone else under any circumstances. She thought that she should tell Darry but in her heart she knew it wasn't wise. If Darry knew Dallas had hidden his kid brother in the middle of nowhere heads would roll. She hoped Soda would be more understanding about it and accept that there's nothing he could do but put his faith in Dally like she had.

Dally gave her an odd look.

"Aren't you, what 16?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Don't you have school or something?"

Chelsea's eyes widened to the size of saucers and she realized she was going to be late for school. Dally offered her a ride and she gratefully accepted.

* * *

"Now you don't get into any trouble okay Chelsea?" Dally jokingly lectured her as he dropped her off at the front entrance of the school.

She smirked, "You mean don't act like you?"

He laughed, "You could never be like me, you're too sweet."

She raised her eyebrows; "Oh yeah? You just watch."

Climbing out of the car she walked up to a smaller looking Soc boy who must have been maybe a year older than Ponyboy. He was clutching his books while flirting with some girls who were way out of his league. When the boy saw her he attempted to flirt with her as well.

"Hey baby did it hurt when you fell from heaven?"

Chelsea looked at him, then at his books and proceeded to smack his stack of books to the ground, give them a kick and walk away. Dallas' booming laughter echoing in her ears as she neared the building.

She turned around and gave him a little curtsey before smiling and rushing off to her classes.

* * *

The school day passed by dreadfully slow. By the time lunch came Chelsea was very close to ditching her classes. She'd had enough of the dirty looks she was getting from her peers and her little stunt from that morning hadn't gone unnoticed. She yearned for Ponyboy and Johnny she could have someone to talk to.

At lunch she ran to her locker to dump her books and began getting ready to meet Two-Bit who was taking her to the DX for lunch. While she was putting her books away she overheard the annoyingly high-pitched voice of Sandy whose locker was unfortunately 7 away from hers.

"Sandy!" one of her little wannabe friends exclaimed, "what happened between you and Mr. Super Soc the other day?"

Sandy snickered; "That party, I got so wasted and he came up to me like; 'hey baby, did it hurt when you fell from heaven?' and I was like 'oh my god, you're so cute let's get out of here.'"

"YOU DIDN'T" gasped one of the girls.

"Oh yes I did." Sandy giggled like a five-year old.

Al the girls laughed until one of them spoke up; "What did you tell your boyfriend?"

Sandy shrugged; "Just that I need space and I don't feel like talking to him…ever. He's such an idiot honestly. He's all lovey dovey saying stuff like; 'I love you, I want to marry you someday' blech! I had to go on a date with him and his stupid friends last night and I honestly would rather watch paint dry than go on another date like that."

"So what're you gonna do?" another asked curiously.

"I'm going to break up with him, I mean we've had this coming for a while and with the baby-"

"BABY!?" all of the girls shrieked.

Sandy blushed; "Oh yes, mr. Super Soc has some super swimmers. My parents said it's either marry Sodapop or go to Florida. I said 'hey, Florida's got beaches, guys going around shirtless all the time-I'll be fine. But you girls swear you won't tell a soul though right?"

All of the girls swore solemnly that they would never tell anyone and Sandy clapped her hands together. "Good! I have to go tell Soda right now but I don't know how to break it to him. I mean he's completely in love with me and I'm not that cruel of a person that I want to ruin him… his friends will miss me too-they adore me! In fact there's one of them now!"

Chelsea peered out of the corner of her eye and watched Two-Bit approaching.

"Hey Two-Bit!" exclaimed Sandy in a sweet, sugar-coated voice.

Two-Bit completely ignored her and walked to Chelsea.

"Hey Mickey, ready to go?"

Chelsea looked up at the bewildered expression on Sandy's face and laughed inwardly.

"Mickey? You don't look so good hon."

Chelsea suddenly realized she had been shaking with anger the entire time Sandy and her sluts had been talking. Her face was as red as a lobster and her eyes flashed dangerously.

"Sandy…Soda..baby…" she managed to sputter out from behind her clenched teeth.

Two-Bit cocked an eyebrow at her; "What now?"

She let out a frustrated groan and dragged Two-Bit to the vacant school parking lot.

"SANDY FUCKING CHEATED ON SODA AND THE BITCH IS PREGNANT! SHE NEVER LOVED HIM! SHE WAS PLAYING HIM AND EVERYONE FOR ATTENTION! GOD FUCKING DAMMIT!"

She picked up an old television set from the dumpster and smashed it creating a loud deafening echo. Two-Bit's eyes widened.

"He loves her and she cheated on him! He loves her and she doesn't even care!"

Two-Bit grabbed her wrists to prevent her from smashing another television.

"Whoah whoa whoa! Hold on there girl, start from the beginning."

Chelsea explained to him exactly what she'd heard Sandy say about Soda and Two-Bit became angry as well. "Two timing slut." He muttered under his breath.

"I know! And you know what the worst part is? She's not even sorry, she's in there GLOATING fucking gloating!"

Two-Bit stared at her surprise; "I didn't know you were violent. Boy wait till Dally gets a load of this-there's actually someone who can match his temper tantrums."

She calmed down a little remembering the events of that morning; "Oh believe me, he knows."

She sat down on the hood of Two-Bit's car and sighed. "It's just not fair. Soda's an amazing guy, I mean, any girl would be lucky to have him and then there's fucking Sandy who has to go and be a bitch. Haven't he Darry and Ponyboy been through enough? Now she's gonna go over to the DX and break up with Soda- Two-Bit! We have to beat them there! We gotta warn Soda!"

Two-Bit jumped behind the wheel of his car and Chelsea followed, buckling herself in anticipation of her friend's reckless driving. Her heart hammered in her chest and she hoped they wouldn't be too late. She was so anxious she couldn't keep still during the ride there. She constantly shifted her position, twirled her hair, bit her nails, bounced her leg up and down and hummed. Two-Bit noticed this and it began to irritate him.

"I'm going as fast as I can Chelsea. But I swear if you hum one more verse of A Little Less Conversation I will cut you."

"I thought you liked Elvis?"

"I do but not when you hum the same verse over and over again. You need to relax, it's gonna be okay."

Chelsea nodded and tried to contain her nervous energy but her heart continued to beat rapidly in her chest threatening to swallow her being whole.

* * *

When they finally arrived at the DX, Chelsea attempted to unbuckle her seatbelt but was halted abruptly by Two-Bit asking her a question.

"Do you have feelings for Soda?"

She frowned and looked at him as if he was insane. "No. Why would you ask such a random question?"

Two-Bit shrugged; "I guess it's cuz you two are always joking around with each other and that reaction back there was a bit over the top for someone who is 'just your friend.'"

Chelsea smiled; "I don't have feelings for Soda Two-Bit, I just get really emotional when the people I care about get hurt. Like I will be if we don't warn Soda in time so come on!"

She bolted into the DX with Two-Bit at her heels but when a beautiful blonde girl crossed his path Two-Bit's attention span was gone.

"Damn him and his meager will power for blondes." She mumbled to herself watching him go up to the girl.

Chelsea flung the gas station doors open and a cheery voice greeted her.

"Welcome to the DX we-oh, hey Chelsea!" Steve Randle's voice emanated from the cash register at the front.

"Steve, thank God! Where's Sodapop?"

Steve gestured to the employee break room; "He's back there with Sandy having a talk. It seems serious so I wouldn't go in there if I was you."

Chelsea's face fell and she felt choked up. Hanging her head sadly she trudged over to where Steve was standing.

"She's breaking up with him Steve!"

Steve frowned; "What-how would you know?"

"She was bragging about it at school today and she said she was pre-" Chelsea clapped a hand over her mouth when she heard a noise in the other room, it sounded like pleading.

"What? What's wrong with Sandy?" Steve asked insistently.

"She-I-she…" she stuttered.

"For goodness sake Chelsea spit it out!" Steve begged, a shadow of panic crossing his features.

''She's pregnant." Chelsea whispered just as the door to the break room slammed open.

Sandy came out first looking smug but that look faded when she saw Chelsea talking to Steve.

Soda came out next and Chelsea's heart broke at the sight of his tortured expression. "Soda," she said in a strangled whisper.

He didn't hear her and just slid down the length of the wall until he was crouched against the wall while sitting on the floor.

Sandy stepped forward and Chelsea stepped out from behind the counter. Sandy gave her a dirty look and enraging the brunette.

Chelsea punched Sandy square in the jaw and the blonde fell over crying in pain.

* * *

_"Wait! You punched an innocent girl in the face?" her therapist exploded._

_Chelsea looked up and snorted, "I hardly call her innocent but no I didn't punch her. As badly as I wanted to I didn't, she wasn't worth it. I did, however shove her out the door of the gas station."_

* * *

Chelsea watched Sandy leave the DX and slammed the door in her face when she turned back to give her the finger. Chelsea rolled her eyes and considered going after her but a sound emanating from the rear of the store distracted her. She turned to see Soda crouched against the floor. His eyes were filled to the brim with tears and his lips trembled attempting to suppress an escaping sob.

"Soda buddy, are you okay?" Steve asked softly nudging Soda's shoulder.

Soda shook his head, "Sandy," he choked, "she cheated on me and she's pregnant. I told her, I told her that I didn't care, told her I loved her and that I'd marry her anyway but she didn't want me. She never loved me, no one has ever loved me."

A tear ran down his cheek when he finished speaking. Chelsea and Steve exchanged devastated looks, they both hated to see their friend like this. Steve crouched down beside Soda and just looked at him sympathetically. Chelsea's heart welled with emotion for her heartbroken friend. Without thinking she walked over to where Soda was crouched down behind the counter and wrapped her arms around him, resting her head in the crook of his neck. She didn't care that Soda was soaking her with his tears or shaking her with his sobs. All she cared about was making him feel better and letting him know that she was there for him. So she let him cry his heart out and wished she could help him more and take away the pain he felt but all she could do was hold him close to her and hope that he knew everything would be okay soon.

* * *

The three of them stayed crouched up against the wall for a while until the manager of the store came in and yelled at them to get back to work. Soda tried to wipe the tears from his face and resume his calm composure as he got up to go outside and help customers. Steve went back to manning the counter and Chelsea followed Soda out of the store.

"Soda," she started gently, "it's going to be okay, I promise."

He sighed and looked away. She held his face in her hands and looked him in the eyes. "One day soon, you'll realize that she did love you and that means someone can love you again-and that will make you smile."

His face remained miserable but the ghost of a smile tugged at his lips. Encouraged by this she added; "There's been too much doom and gloom lately, we need to take a break from everything. I think I'm gonna put my house to use and we're gonna have a party-me, you, Steve, Darry, Dally, Two-Bit, Tim Shephard's gang-if they want to come, and we're going to have fun."

Soda gave her a weak smile; "Me and Steve get the day off three days from now."

She gave him a radiant smile back; "Perfect, I'll let everyone know."

HONK!

He turned around to see an old woman in her car at the gas pump hollering for him to come and help her out. He looked back to Chelsea.

"I've got to-"

"It's okay," she said and she reached out to wipe a tear on his cheek that had remained from earlier. "I'll see you later, and we'll talk then."

His face softened at her touch and he gazed at her appreciatively until another honk interrupted them.

"I'M COMING MRS. JENKINS!" He shouted in response to the impatient old woman.

He glanced back to Chelsea who found the old lady amusing, "Goodbye Chels."

He walked away just as Two-Bit approached her with a slip of paper Chelsea assumed was the blonde girl who he was chasing earlier's number.

"Did you warn him in time?" he asked genuinely concerned.

"No." she replied sadly, "but on the bright side I'm throwing a party at my house Thursday night and you better be there."

"I love a good party as much as the next guy but don't you think throwing one for greasers in Soc territory isn't the best idea? There's been a lot of hostility ever since what happened with Johnny and that Soc."

"That's why we need to have it." She answered firmly, "we'll show them that no matter what greasers come out on top."

"Ain't you a Soc?" he asked puzzled.

"I'm a hybrid." Chelsea answered plainly.


	5. Secrets

**A/N: As always thank you all for the reviews-sorry if I don't reply to them but rest assured they are all extremely appreciated!**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing but Chelsea, her father and mother.**

* * *

The rest of that week was tough for everyone. Sodapop especially. He didn't like people knowing he was upset, so he'd fake a smile and act like the same happy-go-lucky guy everyone knew he was and most of the time he was believed, except for the people who knew him the best. Steve tried his hardest to cheer his buddy up but Soda fell apart every time Evie came to visit them because he was reminded of the fact that he was alone while his best friend was loved. Darry knew his brother cried himself to sleep and he too attempted to cheer him up but he could never find the right things to say. It seemed like no one was getting through to Soda and everyone worried about him.

One day Two-Bit suggested that everyone go to hang out in the nearby vacant lot and they agreed. That same day Chelsea got into a fight with her father. She had come home from school to find him drunk and the second he saw her he took her to her bedroom and beat her-he beat her pretty badly. Chelsea couldn't take the pain so she lost consciousness. When she awoke, her father was gone and she was bleeding onto the hardwood flooring of her bedroom.

She sat up and let out a small sob when all the feelings of pain resurfaced. She took off her shirt and checked her bodily damage in the mirror.

"That's not too bad," she convinced herself. Her arms and legs were black and blue with bruises, she had a black eye and multiple scratches on her cheek. Humming to cheer herself up, she grabbed the first aid kit on her desk and cleaned up her wounds.

She grabbed her make-up utensils and covered her black eye so perfectly that if it wasn't for the stinging pain she wouldn't even know she had one. When her face looked presentable she put her make-up away and grabbed a small cloth to wipe away the tears that continued to stream down her face despite her desperate attempts to force them back. Her heart yearned for her mother, she could stop the flow of tears.

Suddenly the ringing of a telephone broke her silent reminiscences. She picked it up.

"Hello?" she asked, keeping her voice as steady as possible.

"Chelsea? It's Dally."

She brightened, "Hey Dal! What's going on?"

"We're all hanging out at the vacant lot tonight-you interested in coming?"

Smiling, she replied; "Of course, I'm on my way over now."

After hanging up the brunette rushed to change into warmer clothes. She tossed her grey Mickey Mouse sweater over her black jeans and grabbed her dark brown boots.

"MARLENE, GET OUT OF THAT ROOM! I JUST WANT TO SPEND SOME QUALITY TIME WITH YOU."

She heard her father's drunken rambling outside, quickly ran onto her balcony and climbed down the side of the house.

When her boots made contact with the ground she broke into a sprint, heading to the northern side of town as fast as she could while her father's shouting faded into the distance.

* * *

"Hey guys!"

"Hey Chelsea,"

The happy brunette skipped over to where the gang was chilling in the empty lot. She initially went for Dally but got blocked by Two-Bit.

"Hey Mickey! You got a shirt with your pretty little face on it. Ain't that nice? Hey guys! Mickey's got Mickey on her shirt. HAHAHA!"

Everyone rolled their eyes at the hysterical boy and Chelsea smirked.

"You're drunk Two-Bit." She said, patting him on the back just before she maneuvered herself over to where Dally was chatting with Tim Shepherd.

"I know Tim, it's gonna happen any day now, I can't wait to beat the shit out of those nasty-ass, fucki-oh hey Chelsea."

She frowned, "Who's getting a cap in their ass this time Dally?"

"The Socs," Tim explained, "well, not you of course."

"What Tim means is them Socs are pretty upset about what happened to that Bob kid. They want a rumble on Saturday night. There's been whisperings about it but nothing official yet. We're still waiting to hear from them but I don't give a fuck. I'm ready to bash those pretty boys any day of the week."

Chelsea nodded at him in understanding. "So that's why everyone was acting so catty this week at school… It's Socs versus Greasers, this time more than ever."

"Exactly, they said they want a clean fight-just skins not knives or chains or nothing but I don't believe those motherfuckers for one minute. If there's gonna be knives I gotta get me a blade and soon." Dallas elaborated.

At that moment Two-Bit popped up again out of nowhere and flicked out his switch blade;

"You need a blade Dal? I got one right here but you can never have it. This is the best switch blade in the entire world, I mean, look at it! Ain't she a beauty? I stole her from a hardware store once-most thrilling shoplift ever! I swear there was a fancy video camera watching me the whole time but I still made out with it! Yessiree, this blade is my baby."

Tim and Dallas exchanged irritated looks from which Chelsea deduced that Two-Bit wasn't exactly modest about his blade. The boy continued staring at his switch blade, lovingly caressing the handle and inspecting the sharp tip.

"So you gonna use it or make love to it Two-Bit?" Chelsea asked with a straight face.

Beside her, Tim and Dallas burst into laughter. Two-Bit rolled his eyes;

"Y'all are jealous that what Kathy has, none of your switch blades can beat."

"You gave your switch blade a girl's name? Well I guess that makes sense since she's the only one you'll be touching tonight… or ever."

Dally was clutching his sides heaving with laughter, and Tim had a tear rolling down his cheek from laughing so hard. Two-Bit mock laughed with them and then left with 'Kathy'.

"Hey Chels!" Sodapop exclaimed walking into their midst.

"Soda!" she beamed, "I didn't know you were here!"

Dally smiled smugly and walked off with Tim towards the fire that was burning in the center of the lot.

"How are you doing?" she asked sympathetically.

He shrugged, "I'm okay I guess… It hurts to know she never cared but I'll get over it soon."

She smiled and put an arm on his shoulder. "You will, and you'll find someone who cares about you so much more than she ever could and you will be way happier with her. I promise."

He smiled feebly at her reassuring expression and sighed. "I sure hope so."

"You will, "

They stared at each other for a moment before Chelsea blushed and turned away.

"So you never told me what Dallas said about Johnny and Ponyboy." He said softly.

She took a deep breath, relieved at the change in the conversation. She then went on to tell him everything Dallas told her; from how Ponyboy had almost drowned in the fountain to Dally's promising to check on them soon.

Soda's eyes widened as he felt relief, panic and loss all at once.

"He made me swear not to tell anyone but you. Not even Darry, but he said you can write Pony a letter if you want and he'll deliver it to him."

He nodded, "I will, I'll give it to Dallas tomorrow."

They continued talking about Ponyboy and how they hoped he was okay. Getting to the subject of the rumble Chelsea began feeling a little uneasy.

"Why do you like rumbles?" she asked him resting her head in her hands. They were now sitting on a log together facing the fire.

"I love them because it's a competition. It's like a drag race or a dance-something to get into ya know?" He became more passionate about explaining as he went on. Chelsea found it adorable how invested he was in rumbles-how much fun he took out of them.

"Has anyone ever died in one?" she asked worriedly.

He smiled, "In a skins rumble? No I don't think so. With knives and chains usually the cops show up before anyone gets too bloody. I think we might've had one or two deaths but I'm not sure."

She began twisting a curl around her finger absent-mindedly. Soda noticed her anxiousness and took her hand in his. "It's not so bad, don't be scared for us-we all love rumbles. Pity the people who mess with us."

She lightened up at this and Soda grinned back at her. She opened her mouth to say something but an angry shout from nearby cut her off.

"WHO INVITED THE SOC?!" Someone shouted angrily.

Shrinking in her seat a little Chelsea silently hoped they weren't talking about her. However, she recognized a car pulling into the lot. It was a Sting-Ray, with a red-head behind the wheel.

"Cherry?" she whispered to herself in confusion.

Dally walked over and gestured with his head for her to follow him.

Shooting Soda an apologetic glance, she got up and followed Dallas to Cherry's car.

No one moved as the red-head parked her car in an empty spot away from the fire.

"Should we jump her?" a voice from behind them asked.

Dally turned around and gave everyone the dirtiest look a person could give. It shut them up and no one said anything after that.

"Do you know that broad?" Dally asked Chelsea in a whisper.

She nodded. "Cherry Valence. She goes to my school, she is, I mean, she was, Bob's girlfriend. She didn't take the news that he was killed very well. I haven't seen her at school all week,"

Dally nodded and walked over to her. "Well, well well, if it isn't little miss Soc. What do you want red?"

She crossed her arms and glared at him but softened her gaze when she saw Chelsea peeking out from behind Dallas.

"Marlene?" she asked in shock, "you hang out with these-"

"Watch what you say honey, I may not be as forgiving as I was the other night. Now what do you want?" Dally snapped.

Cherry straightened herself and resumed the emotionless stance of a Soc.

"I understand that Bob's death was an accident. He and Randy and the other Socs instigated everything and I believe Ponyboy and his friend were fighting in self-defense. I'm on your side for this. I do have inside information from the Socs for the rumble. They are planning it for Saturday night and I can tell you if they plan on bringing weapons."

A round of curses and shouts was heard in the background as everyone began arguing about whether they could trust her.

"Cherry," Chelsea spoke softly so no one but Dallas could hear, "why would you help us? I thought you didn't give a damn about greasers?"

Cherry sighed, "I know what I said, but I've met Ponyboy and his friend. They're different-sweet boys and I believe they're innocent and I'm willing to testify that Bob was drunk and he was looking for a fight. I just want to help them."

Dallas listened to them while he lit a cigarette to annoy Cherry. "Okay Red," he said as he exhaled puff of smoke, "I believe you, and thanks for coming out here. That took a lot of guts."

Chelsea smiled appreciatively at Cherry who simply nodded and started to get back into her car but Dally stopped her and asked her if she'd go with him for a coke at the Dingo but she told him to go to hell, waved at Chelsea and then drove away.

"I think she likes me. What do you think?" he asked playfully, raising his eyebrows and smirking.

The brunette rolled her eyes and snorted. "Sure Dally, whatever gets you through the day."

Dally smiled and went off to talk to the rest of the group about what happened. Chelsea sighed and looked up at the stars, This isn't going to end well… she thought.

She had an overwhelming feeling of dread and couldn't put her finger on why, so she shrugged it off and went back to joking around with the guys.

With a smile on her face she hid everything going on inside her head-her fear of something terrible happening, her uneasiness about the rumble, her pang of loss over her mother which still existed, and her deep depression about her father that threatened to swallow her whole. She felt like she was drowning-she couldn't breathe or swim for air but everyone else around her was breathing perfectly fine. She smiled and joked though. It was the only way she knew how to hide the pain inside.

* * *

That next day Chelsea was invited to hang out with everyone at a rodeo, and surprisingly she had a really good time.

Dally was amazing at bull riding, even she had to admit that to him. She'd never seen someone so calm and relaxed while a bull was bucking and thrashing wildly. It was almost a life and death situation. Dally was staring death right in the face and he didn't flinch.

Soda did pretty well too-except he was a cocky rider, He'd lose points because he'd be blowing kisses to the crowd when he was supposed to be gripping the saddle tighter. Overall he made Chelsea smile with his ridiculousness and he spent the night making her laugh. He bought her popcorn and drinks then used up almost all the popcorn forcing Two-Bit to throw a piece for him to catch in his mouth-which he did… after 24 attempts.

Steve dragged Darry there as well, telling him he needed to loosen up and Darry even managed to crack a smile at his friends shenanigans every once in a while.

"Hey Superman, me and Two-Bit are going for some drinks-wanna come with?" Steve asked. Everyone was sitting down in the audience watching Dally win.

Darry stood up and followed them reluctantly, leaving Soda and Chelsea behind to talk.

"I know what you tried to do the day Sandy broke up with me." Soda said lightly after a few moments of silence between them.

"Two-Bit told you?" she asked casually, internally hoping Two-Bit hadn't mentioned his crazy idea that she had feelings for Soda to him.

Soda smiled, "Yeah, he said you were so hell-bent on beating Sandy-he was afraid he was gonna have to put you into a straight jacket so you wouldn't commandeer the car."

"Thanks," he added, "for what you did, for sticking up for me. You know, this break up has given me a new light on life. For the longest time I believed girls just liked me for my looks not my personality-I've never had a girl friend like you. I mean girl friend-ugh! I mean friend that happens to be a girl. Anyways, what I was trying to say was-you're one dynamite gal Chels and I'm happy to have met you because you showed me there's more to a person than just their looks."

She grinned and flushed at his compliments; "Shucks, Soda you're making me red. Thank you, you're pretty tuff yourself."

He flashed her his dazzling movie star smile that she'd only ever seen him use on Sandy. She winked at him, then focused her attention back to Dally who had won again and was heading towards them.

"At the rate you're winning Dallas, there's not gonna be anymore money in the world for the rest of us." She remarked shaking her head.

He gave them a smug smile, "Hey it's just my natural talent baby, can't help it if idiots keeping betting against me."

He set himself down beside her and looked down to see who was next for barrel racing.

"Hey look it's that Soc-what's his face…" Dally noted trying in vain to remember the name of the kid.

"Randy," Chelsea hissed through her teeth, glaring at the Soc boy angrily.

"What's the matter Chels?" Soda asked looking at his friend's irritated expression.

She crossed her arms and leant back in her seat. "Let's just say, his family is pretty close to my dad-business wise. One day my dad decided to marry me off to him as soon as I finished high school for a business deal and I was okay with it at first because he seemed nice and friendly but I was wrong. We were dating for about a year when I found him hooking up with some bitch named Marcia and I was so upset. I went home and begged my father to annul the marriage but he refused. He only promised to postpone it until Randy agrees he's ready. But Randy still sleeps around with women, and he believes no matter what I'll be marrying him and he doesn't give a damn about me."

Soda and Dally stared at her in shock. "You have to marry gorilla face over there?" Dally sputtered.

She nodded sadly and took a sip of her cream soda. "But I'm not gonna do it. I'm gonna find a way to escape-I'll run away if I have to! There's no way in hell I'm going to go through with it and Randy knows that-but he doesn't care."

"That's not fair! You should be allowed to marry someone you love instead of being forced to marry a person you hate." Soda exclaimed angrily.

"Yeah well, tell that to my father." She said choking back tears.

Everyone was silent for a moment until Dally spoke up. "We can hide you-I'll send you far away and then we'll tell your dad that you died or something or that you're in jail so he'll quit lookin'. Or we can kill gorilla face-your choice Chelsea."

She smiled, appreciative of Dally lightening the mood and the three of them decided that when Randy wanted to marry her-they would set out an elaborate plan to escape town. Everyone would chip in to buy a big house in the country-Soda would raise horses, Dally would raise cows, Two-Bit would raise chickens, Darry would take care of the crops along with Johnny and Ponyboy and Chelsea would cook for everyone.

They all began laughing and joking around about their country life. When a song began playing in the stands everyone got up, jumped from seat to seat and danced.

Chelsea and Two-Bit linked arms and spun in a circle, Steve and Soda pretended to waltz around the stands, Dally jumped up and down in his seat and Darry swayed back and forth in his.

**Let's rock, everybody let's rock,**

**Everybody in the whole cell block**

**Was dancing to the jailhouse rock**

They screamed the lyrics at the top of their lungs and the boys even had Elvis' swinging hip movements down perfectly. Chelsea couldn't breathe from laughing so hard at her friends.

When she attempted to copy them she tripped over herself. A laughing Two-Bit caught her and spun her around in circles.

"This is so much fun!" she screamed leaning her head back. The boys laughed in response and Chelsea felt drunk-not on alcohol or drugs but just on life. These guys were like painkillers getting rid of the pain she felt inside and replacing it with ecstasy and joy. She loved these guys!

After a few more exhausting dance numbers Chelsea decided she'd better head home since it was a school night and all. Dally offered to drive her home since a girl walking alone at night was a jumping ready to happen.

* * *

"Thanks for driving me home Dally, I had a wonderful time. You're really amazing at bull riding by the way, you deserve all that money." They were standing outside of her gated property together.

He scratched at the back of his neck and smirked, "Yeah, thanks. Oh and I was wondering if you'd be interested in going to see a movie at the drive-in tomorrow night with me."

She raised her eyebrows, "Just you?"

"Yeah, is that alright?"

"Um yes! It's fine, uh what time?"

"I'll pick you up around 7-sound good to you?"

"Yes that's great Dal. I'll see you then-goodnight."

Flushing like crazy Chelsea unlocked the gate to her house and ran inside. Once the door shut behind her, she snuck a peek at Dallas who was grinning widely before he hopped back into his car.

A date with Dallas Winston-how the hell did that happen? She wondered to herself in disbelief. She smiled and walked through her damned house feeling like she was walking on sunshine.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you guys think of Chelsea and Dallas going on a date? Do you think someone might get a little jealous? Please leave a review and make my day? :) **

* * *

Song Used: Jailhouse Rock-Elvis Presley


	6. Drinking Champagne

**Disclaimer: All rights belong to their creators, I only own Chelsea, and her parents. The Outsiders belong to S.E Hinton.**

* * *

I see your bet and raise you 3 chips." Two-Bit said cocking his eyebrows at Steve.

Steve, Soda, Darry and Two-Bit were playing poker at the Curtis residence that evening and Steve was winning.

"Where's Dally tonight?" Soda asked casually as he placed his bet in.

Two-Bit snorted. "He's on a date-didn't you know?"

Soda frowned. "No I never knew he was on a date. Is it with someone I know?"

"Yeah," Two-Bit answered with a smirk, "you know her."

"Who?!"

"Guess."

"I don't know… Umm, Sylvia?"

"Nope,"

"Sylvia's friend then; Spencer."

"Nope."

"Sandy!?"

Annoyed with the stupid guessing game Steve blurted out; "It's Chelsea!"

Soda, who was leaning on the back two legs of his chair fell over and Darry choked on his water-spraying Two-Bit who happened to be beside him.

"Chelsea! My Chels!?" Soda shouted in bewilderment as he scrambled to his feet.

"Yes 'your' Chelsea. They're going to the drive-in to watch some movie." Two-Bit said as he shined his blade on his shirt,

"I don't believe this." Soda said in dismay, running his fingers through his greased hair.

"Well believe it buddy boy, he asked her out after the rodeo last night and she said yes." Steve replied looking over his deck of cards.

Darry frowned at his younger brother, "What's the matter with her going on a date with Dallas?"

Soda rolled his eyes and said nothing, placing his bet in.

"Are you jealous?" Two-Bit asked in a teasing voice, elbowing him in the shoulder.

"No I'm not jealous! I'm just surprised; I didn't think she would be Dally's type. He doesn't exactly date Socs…"

Steve smirked, "Ah but as Chelsea has so graciously pointed out-she isn't a Soc, she's one of us. An outsider."

The boys pondered Steve's statement and discussed why they believed Dally likes Chelsea and why she even agreed to date him in the first place. Meanwhile, underneath Soda's perfect poker face was a bubbling anger, He was furious, Chelsea had no idea how much trouble Dally could get her into. He didn't want his sweet innocent girl to become corrupted. He rarely spoke and refused to keep eye contact with anyone for the rest of the night.

Used to the wild antics of Sodapop, the boys were puzzled as to his odd silence and behavior. Eventually, the decided to let him be-except Darry who argued with himself as to whether he should confront his younger brother about his feelings for Chelsea.

When the game was over and Two-Bit and Steve headed home, Darry came to the conclusion that he should talk to Soda and see if he needed any advice-as it was the adult thing to do. Even though he was afraid of losing Soda the way he lost Ponyboy; by being insensitive.

"Soda," he began slowly and calmly, "are you okay little buddy?"

Soda, who was clearing the table, did not look up but mumbled; "I'm fine."

Darry placed a hand on his shoulder. "No you're not, you're upset about something and I know you want to talk about it. Please tell me what's wrong."

Turning around Soda sighed and gazed at his elder brother, "I'm fine, really I don't need to talk about anything. Let's just go to bed."

He began walking towards his bedroom.

"You have feelings for her don't you?"

Soda froze, his back still to Darry.

Encouraged, Darry continued: "You have feelings for Chelsea, that's why you were so upset when you found out Dally took her on a date. You're jealous."

Soda whipped around and glared at him. "I do not have feelings for her! She's my friend and you know the type of person Dally is! He's going to use her for sex and then leave her like she's nothing! You know he's never loved anything in his life."

Darry smiled softly and shook his head, "You're wrong Soda, you of all people know that Dallas isn't like that. He won't hurt her because she won't let him and because he doesn't treat friends like that."

Soda said nothing. He simply began walking towards the door, completely frustrated with everything at the moment.

"Where are you going?!" Darry asked in a panicked voice,

"I'm just going for a walk, I'll be back in a few minutes-don't wait up." The younger Curtis brother muttered slamming the screen door behind him.

Darry watched him go, dumbfounded. He whistled, "Boy he sure does like that girl."

* * *

Chelsea sat on the park swing and dragged her heels in the sand beneath her. She was reflecting on everything that had happened earlier.

She smiled remembering when Dallas came to pick her up for their date. She'd worn a short black dress with nude pumps and thin grey socks and a gold chain necklace. Her brown hair was curled and parted to the side.

When her date saw her she took his breath away and actually caused him to give her a compliment-he called her beautiful and she blushed before grabbing her black trench coat, purse and heading out the door. She was lucky her father was working late tonight otherwise she probably wouldn't have been able to go out.

They had a wonderful time at the drive-in theatre watching You Only Die Twice in Dally's Chevy. They joked throughout the movie and watched the Socs going at it inside cars all around them. Dally made Chelsea tear up laughing when he decided to walk up to one of those cars and open the door to reveal a freshman making out with his pillow.

Near the end of the night a big commotion started nearby where a boy brought his girlfriend to the front of the theatre to propose. Everyone cheered when the girl cried 'yes!' except for Dally who snuck over and stole two bottles of champagne the boy brought for the occasion.

"Here, you want a drink?" he asked smirking while he popped the bottle of champagne open.

She grinned, "Sure!" took the bottle and downed half of it in one swallow.

"How the fuck do you do that? I didn't even know you drank…" he replied in surprise.

She shrugged and responded, "It tastes like ginger ale,"

Laughing Dallas opened his bottle to clink hers in a 'cheers'. "A toast to the bride, for her fairytale ending." Chelsea proclaimed.

They spent the rest of the night talking about their lives and how alike they were despite growing up on different sides of the neighborhood.

When Dally drove Chelsea home he stopped in front of her gate and walked her to the door.

"I had a really good time," she told him with a sweet smile, still clutching the bottle of champagne he'd stolen for her.

He leant his arm against the door and nodded, "Me too, you're a really great gal, don't let anyone ever change you."

She smiled and looked down, hiding the heat rising to her cheeks.

"Chelsea," he spoke softly and tilted her chin up so her hazel-green eyes were level with his eyes. She realized they were an almost bluish grey color and before she knew it he was leaning in to kiss her.

Without thinking she crashed her lips against his but lost feeling. When they kissed it was hard, and rough and Chelsea didn't know why but it just didn't feel right. Instead of that glowing and fantastic feeling you should get when you kiss someone you like, she felt nothing. It was just a kiss, nothing special. Sure Dally was a good kisser but his lips felt foreign to her.

They broke apart and she shied away, refusing to meet his eyes. He sighed, "That wasn't good was it?"

Looking up she frowned at him, opened her mouth to respond but he cut her off.

"I know because you didn't kiss back. You don't have feelings for me, do you?"

She shook her head sadly, "I care about you Dallas! I do like you but-"

"There's someone else isn't there? You have feelings for someone else."

She blinked in astonishment, "I- um. I don't know."

Looking down, Dally kicked a pebble away and met her eyes again. "I think you do. What was I thinking, you're Pony's girl! I shouldn't have been fooling around with you while he and Johnny are hiding in some church together."

She thought about Ponyboy, her best friend, did she have feelings for HIM? She wasn't sure.

"Dally," she started, placing a hand on his cheek, "I'm not dating Ponyboy. I just don't know what I feel right now, my emotions are in one giant mess and I do like you, I do but I guess I don't like you as much as I thought I did because this doesn't feel right. You're one of my closest friends Dal, I'd hate to lose you over this. I'm sorry."

He gave her a half-smile. "Of course we can stay friends, and I'm okay, honest. I guess this didn't feel right for either one of us then. We're meant to just stay friends."

Exhaling a sigh of relief, she beamed at him. "You have feelings for someone else?"

The greaser shook his head, "Not really, just a girl I can't get out of my head."

She cocked her head trying to comprehend what he meant but he leant in again and kissed her on the forehead.

"I'm going to see Johnny and Ponyboy tomorrow morning so I'd better get going. You have fun at your party tomorrow night-I'm sorry I have to miss it."

She shrugged, "It's okay Dally, just give Ponyboy this for me," and gave him a huge hug, pressing her face against his chest.

Stiffening, Dally smirked, "I can't guarantee I'll give that to him, but I'll tell him you miss him something awful."

The brunette nodded vigorously, and reached into her purse to retrieve the letter Soda wrote for Pony. "Make sure he gets this,"

Dally took it and tucked it into his jean pocket to keep it safe. "Alright, I'm gonna leave now, goodbye Chelsea."

"Goodbye Dally," she replied and kissed him on the cheek, " thank you."

Looking embarrassed, Dally walked quickly back to his Chevy, slammed the door and waved goodbye before driving off into the distance.

When his tail lights faded into the darkness, Chelsea began feeling weepy and miserable. She hadn't wanted to hurt Dallas, she truly thought she did care for him but now… now she didn't know what to think. Did she have feelings for Ponyboy? Oh how she wished she'd been able to go with Dally to see her best friend, she missed him so much it hurt.

But did she love him? Troubled with these thoughts, Chelsea opened her front door and walked into her kitchen.

To her surprise her father was sitting at the kitchen table, with Randy. Gasping in surprise she exclaimed; "What are you doing here?!"

Her father stood from the table and begged Randy's pardon so he could speak to his daughter in private. He took her hand and led her into his study down the hall.

"Marlene, Randy and I have some business plans to go over. He's here to help me, and I know you do not like the boy so leave. Go to your room and stay there for the rest of the night." He snapped.

Chelsea nodded and obeyed leaving the room but she stopped in the doorway and gave her father a meaningful look.

"Dad, does this business plan happen to be about my marriage because I told you I'm not marrying him. He's a cheating rotten man and he tried to kill one of my friends! Please, please don't do this to me."

Filled with rage her father advanced to her and slapped her upside the head. "You have no say in this matter young lady, now get upstairs before I lose my temper!" he said through clenched teeth.

Clutching her stinging cheek and smelt the alcohol under her father's breath. "You've been drinking," she whispered quietly.

"NOW MARLENE!" He screamed, shoving her out of the room and to the stairway.

He returned to the kitchen and Chelsea slunk upstairs to her bedroom. Why did she even bother going home? Of course he was going to beat her, and he obviously didn't care about where she'd run off to, or who she was with. Exhausted, Chelsea collapsed on her bed covered in purple and white silk sheets counting down the minutes until her father left for his conference in the morning.

"As I was saying, the contract clearly states that in the event that the matrimony is annulled as in, one of you divorces the other, the contract will be void." Her father's voice echoed from downstairs.

Chelsea sat up and remembered the air vent beneath her vanity was just above the kitchen! She recalled using it to eavesdrop on her parents when she was younger and they discussed buying her birthday presents.

She laid down on the floor and pressed her ear to the vent.

"That is not what we agreed upon Mr. Young, the first contract only stated that in the event of a divorce the contract would remain intact, as well as in the case of a death."

"Death? Are you planning on murdering my only child Randy?" he joked.

"Of course not! I'm simply stating that a divorce should have the same benefits as a death."

Chelsea covered her mouth in shock.

"I see what you are saying young man but that was what your parents decided-"

There was a loud bang, and Chelsea imagined Randy slamming his fist down on the table "I don't care what my parents agreed to. I'm 18 years old and dammit, I can make my own contracts!"

There was the light sound of chuckling and then Chelsea's father continued, "Were you any other man I would have fired you for your tongue, but you remind me of me at that age, impulsive and reckless. So I'm going to give you what you want. However, I will be needing money to live off of, so when you marry Marlene you will both receive half of my stocks which is a value of 20 million dollars and after my death-if you are still married, you shall receive the other 10 million. Sound fair to you?"

There was a long pause and Chelsea stretched out her legs to get into a more comfortable place but she managed to kick one of the vanity's legs and cause it to crash to the ground beside her. It made a loud sound and the girl cursed when her bottle of perfume hit her hard on the head.

A moment later her father burst into the room and yelled at her for making noise.

"It was an accident, I'm sorry." She explained trying to get out from under the vanity.

"You're not sorry, you were-" when he realized her head was against the vent he remembered catching her when she was listening to her mother watch tv downstairs through the vent.

"YOU WERE EAVESDROPPING?! MARLENE ISABELLA CHELSEA KATHERINE EVANS YOUNG YOU ARE IN SO MUCH TROUBLE!"

When he announced her full name Chelsea couldn't help but think of Two-Bit shouting, 'Your initials spell MICKEY!' and she let out a small giggle.

Her father was so angry he was seeing red. He shoved her against the wall, his hand clasped around her throat and his face close to her hers. "If you do not get out of this house in ten seconds I swear to God I will beat you so badly you will see your mother. Is that clear?"

Terrified, she nodded and when he let go she gasped for air, falling to her knees.

"Ten, nine, eight-" he began slowly but furiously counting off of his fingers.

In panic, she grabbed her shoes and champagne bottle sprinting out of the room.

"Seven, six, five, four."

She flew down the stairs and ran as fast as her pumps would carry her to the back door so Randy wouldn't see her.

"Three, two."

She ran out the door into the night and could hear her father's low voice echoing in her head saying, 'one.'

She ran until she could barely see her house anymore. Then she started to walk, she opened her champagne bottle and downed another quarter of it to settle her nerves even though the alcohol content was extremely low.

She wandered aimlessly along the foggy streets, barely knowing where she was going anymore. When she got tired she collapsed on a step for someone's house and closed her eyes, but she knew she couldn't sleep. She had insomnia and barely slept ever since her mother died. Doctors she'd talked to called it a side effect of her stress but she knew it was out of fear that her father would hurt her while she slept. Sleep was her weakness not her friend.

She opened her eyes and got up, thinking about where she wanted to be and she began walking there. Thinking about the champagne it was helping her a little she supposed. It was a symbol of fabricated wealth, only the rich drank champagne but not the rich in finances, the rich in happiness and spirit. She sighed sadly when the bottle was finished and when she reached the park she threw it into the trash and looked up at the stars and began to spin.

She had no idea why she was spinning she only knew that watching the stars sliding down the sky made her feel like the night was passing quicker and she wished for it to be over.

She walked around for a while and thought of her mother. She missed her mother so much, she remembered coming to the park as a child. She saw a memory of herself in the swing and her mother pushing her in the swing.

* * *

_"Higher mommy higher!" the 5-year old girl giggled kicking her legs in glee._

_Her mother smiled brightly, "Chelsea, be careful baby, I don't want you to fall off and get hurt!"_

_Chelsea laughed and they continued swinging for a while until her father to the park. Her mother waved him over and he waved at Chelsea who tried to wave back but let go of the swing and flew off._

_"Honey! Are you okay?!" Her mother shouted running to where her daughter had fallen._

_Chelsea looked at her skinned knee and sobbed, her father came to her and gave her a little kiss on her knee._

_"Are you okay sweetheart?" he asked and she shook her head._

_"Don't worry, Daddy is going to get you some bandages, Vanessa stay with her will you?" her father got up and left for the car to get the first aid kit._

_Her mother watched her father go and Chelsea burst into tears, "Baby, what's wrong?" her mother cooed, hugging her daughter to her chest._

_"Don't leave me! Please don't leave me by myself." She cried._

_Her mother smiled lovingly, "I'll never leave you baby girl, I love you and I'll always be here for you no matter what."_

_Chelsea sniffled, "Always?"_

_"Always," she nodded._

_"Forever and ever?" the big-eyed girl asked with tears in her eyes._

_Still smiling she wiped the tears from her daughter's eyes and answered, "Forever and ever, whenever you need me look in your heart and I'll always be with you."_

_The little girl burrowed herself into her mother's arms and then stayed there._

* * *

The memory faded and 16-year old Chelsea collapsed on the swing and began to cry. Mascara and eyeliner ran down her face but she didn't care she continued to sob and thought of her mother's promise.

"Where are you mom?" she whispered to herself. She wrapped her arms around her chest to hold herself together.

When the dizziness of her alcoholic beverage reached its peak, Chelsea began to feel nothing. She looked up at the sky and sighed, "I feel celestial,"

* * *

In the meantime, Sodapop had stormed around outside in a fury. How could Darry say something like that, he didn't have feelings for Chelsea! She was just his friend, nothing else but his friend. He was just worried, why couldn't anyone see that?

Mumbling to himself he made his way to the park to clear his head but what irony the universe has when he was thinking about not liking a certain girl and the certain girl appears.

"Speak of the devil," he whistled.

He was about to face her, to tell her Dallas was bad news and to stay away from him but then he noticed she was crying. Her head was in her hands and she was making sobbing noises.

He ran over to her side. "Chels?"

She froze and slowly peered her eyes out of the spaced between her fingers. "Soda?" she choked.

He pulled her hands from her face to show tears spilling out of her eyes. He felt awful and wanted to help her and make her happy.

"Why are you crying?"

She sighed and rubbed her eyes, "I was remembering my mother."

He gave her a reassuring hand squeeze and a trademark Sodapop Curtis smile. "It's okay, I know you miss her badly but you have all of us right? Please don't cry, your mom wouldn't want you to be so miserable, she'd want you to go out and be happy!"

She laughed internally when she realized this was almost exactly what she said to Ponyboy the day she met him.

"I know, I just… sometimes I miss her so much it hurts. She was the only person to get me, she was my best friend and closest confidant. I miss that, but you're right I have the gang as my family now and I have you."

Grinning he replied, "That's the spirit! Keep moving forward."

She mustered up the courage to smile and Soda beamed at her. "There's that gorgeous smile I've been waiting for. I missed it."

Blushing she looked away but a sudden breeze of wind caused her to shake and realize how cold it was, and she forgot to bring her trench coat with her.

Sodapop noticed she was cold and took off his plaid shirt to put around her shoulders.

She looked up, "But won't you be cold?"

"Nah, I'm fine. The weather doesn't affect me. Besides, this t-shirt is more than enough layers."

She smiled, "Thank you,"

He sat down on the swing beside her. "Can I ask you a question?" he inquired beginning to pump his legs up and down.

"Sure,"

"What are you doing out here all alone in the middle of the night?"

She began pumping her legs to move as well and thought about an answer. She wanted to lie and say she just wanted to go for a walk but she knew Soda wouldn't buy it so she told him the truth. "My dad kicked me out because he's talking important business with Randy and he doesn't want me to take part in it."

He looked at her and frowned, "He kicked you out? Then that marriage thing is serious I suppose."

She nodded sadly, "I guess so, unless we still have our plan of running away."

The boy laughed "For sure! Or Two-Bit can adopt you or something."

Picturing Two-Bit as her adopted father made Chelsea burst into hysterical laughter. "Can you even imagine him as a parent?!"

They exchanged jokes about Two-Bit forcing his kids to clean the entire house, teaching them to shoplift, eat like animals, and basically how to become mini Two-Bits.

"I think one Two-Bit is more than enough for us to handle." Soda chimed in.

They were swinging extremely high and Soda shouted over to her. "How about a little competition? Loser gets a favor from the winner."

She nodded, "What's the competition?"

"At the same time we'll let go of this swing and see who lands the farthest away."

Chelsea remembered falling off the swing when she was younger and bit her lip.

"All you have to do is let go and jump. Come on Chels, it's easy."

She thought about what her friend was saying and she agreed to go through with it, making him promise to carry her home if she broke something.

They agreed and Soda yelled, " READY, SET GO!"

Emitting a loud scream Chelsea jumped from her swing and flew forward into the night sky. She landed on her feet and winced at the shock that went through her legs.

"I win!" Soda exclaimed.

Chelsea looked forward to where a foot in front of her Soda was standing.

"Dammit!" she muttered.

He laughed, "Okay, I want you... to come home with me."

"You want me to what?"

"Come home with me. It's too late for you to wander back home alone, please come back with me. You can have the couch to yourself and first thing in the morning we'll drive you home so you can grab your things for school."

She pondered this and after Soda gave her his best puppy dog eyes, she complied, thanked him and together they walked to his house laughing and chasing each other through the neighborhood.

When they finally came in, Darry was standing the doorway of the kitchen. His arms crossed and a smile on his face.

Soda suddenly remembered what they had discussed before he left and realized how ridiculous this must look to Darry.

"Her dad kicked her out, she's staying with us tonight." Soda announced seriously.

Darry instantly sobered up and asked Chelsea if she was okay. Soda made his way over to the supply cupboard to grab a blanket and pillow for Chelsea but Darry stopped him. "No, it's okay she can sleep in Ponyboy's bed."

Soda smiled and walked over to the kitchen. "Do you want something to drink Chelsea? Tea or coffee or something?"

She smiled sheepishly, "Hot chocolate, if it's not too much trouble."

Soda made her a cup of hot chocolate and put marshmallows in the form of a happy face in her mug that made her beam.

"I can't thank you enough for everything Sodapop." She whispered to him before she walked into Ponyboy's room.

Soda watched her go and sighed. Boy was he in over his head.

X

**A/N: Hey guys, I know I haven't been updating as often as I promised but it's only because I really really like this story and I want to take my time with it and perfect it instead of rush to finish it. So as a make up for the long wait period and possibly longer one as exams are approaching :( I created some collages with actresses and actors I would choose to play Chelsea, her mother and her father. As Chelsea's father I picked Jeffrey Dean Morgan, for her mother Lana Parrilla, and Chelsea as Marina Diamandis- I know she's not really an actress but when I picture Chelsea I picture her like Marina when her first album; the Family Jewels-came out. If any of you guys are fans of her, then her outfit for her date would be from her music video Shampain-which is what I envisioned while I wrote this chapter.**

* * *

**So these I made on my old polyvore account. The first one is /inside_outsider/set?id=68538500 and the second is family_photograph/set?id=67865306. So just type in .com before it.**

**I hope you guys enjoy these, and thank you for all of your reviews and I can't thank you enough for sticking with me. Keep up the inspiring work! :)**


	7. Fate

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders-all rights belong to their owners except for Chelsea, and her parents.**

* * *

"Soda!" the brunette whined banging her fist against the bathroom door. "Hurry up!"

It was the morning after and Chelsea was anxious about getting home so she could change and get ready for school. Darry offered to drive her home on his way to dropping Soda and himself off at his work.

However, Soda was still in the washroom greasing his hair while Chelsea and Darry waited for him to finish up and get into the car.

Soda chuckled from inside the bathroom. "Rush me, and I'll have to start all over again."

She let out an irritated sigh and blew a piece of her hair out of her eyes.

"Come on Soda, you've been in there for ages, you're going to make us late." Said Darry as he adjusted his belt and pants beside Chelsea.

"I'll be done in a minute! Quit bugging me." Soda shouted.

Darry rolled his eyes before settling them on Chelsea who was leaning against the bathroom door; one foot on the door the other on the ground.

"Get him out of there, use whatever means necessary." He whispered with the hint of a smile on his face.

She grinned and got off the door. Holding her breath in anticipation: she swung the door open with such force that it smacked against inner the wall.

Sodapop stood wearing jeans and his DX shirt-which was unbuttoned-in front of the mirror. His right hand held his comb, which was, paused midway through a strand of his light brown hair. His expression was of mild surprise but soon returned to smugness as he resumed combing his hair.

"Soda, your hair is greasy enough, add anymore it will be dripping!"

He smirked, "That's not gonna get me out of here faster Chels."

Sighing she slowly walked towards him. "I didn't want to do this but you leave me no choice."

"What?"

She lurched forward, reached up and snatched the comb from his hands so quickly Soda had to blink a few times to realize what she had done.

"Chelsea," he glowered, extending his hand "give me the comb."

Smirking she raised the comb above her hand and twirled it like a baton. "You'll have to catch me first."

Soda raised his eyebrows, shrugged and snarled in mock fury before charging towards her. Giggling, she backed out of the washroom and sprinted towards the front door where Darry was putting on his boots. She didn't make it very far as when she reached the living room Soda had caught up with her and tackled her into a bear hug.

She put her hands up higher refusing to let him take it from her. Soda spun her around to face him then began to tickle her sides violently causing her to laugh so hard she couldn't breathe.

"Soda… stop-p… stop it." She managed to say between gasps.

He smiled, "Not until you give me the comb back."

He continued his relentless assault and Chelsea laughed helplessly until he began tickling a part of her upper back that was covered in bruises from her father.

She jumped and grimaced in pain. Her hands came down as a triggered response to the pain. Soda noticed her reaction immediately and withdrew his hands from her.

"Did I hurt you?" He asked in a concerned voice, his expression sobered.

She bit her lip to force back tears and shook her head.

"I'm fine," she fake-smiled and backed away.

His face remained unchanged. "Are you sure? Is something wrong with your back?"

Hoping to change the subject Chelsea laughed dryly, "You fell for my trick, you stopped ticking me and I still have the comb. I win!"

She winked and Soda narrowed his eyes in fake irritation. "That was a dirty trick Chels! I will get my comb."

Stepping towards him Chelsea smirked, "How?"

He took a step towards her and smirked back, "You'll see."

They glared at each other for a few seconds, having a small staring contest with each other. Finally it ended when Soda made such a wild grin Chelsea lost her straight face and doubled over in laughter.

When she came back up his eyes were on her own and there was a happy smile on his face-happier than she'd seen even before he broke up with Sandy.

She smiled back losing herself in his eyes until they heard the sound of Darry from the front door.

"Will you two stop making goo goo eyes at each other and get in the car?"

Laughing they broke apart and Soda ran around to find his hat, socks and shoes for work while Chelsea ogled at his muscular torso.

"How did I miss that?" she thought to herself, staring at him in a daze.

He spotted her staring and cocked his eyebrows at her. "Enjoying the show?"

She flushed bright red in embarrassment; "Oh no I wasn't- your unbuttoned shirt is just bugging me." She babbled.

Soda shrugged, "It's warm today, I figured I'm not going to wear an undershirt."

She nodded then ran towards the front door to get out of the house before she died of shame.

From within the house Soda chuckled to himself.

* * *

The car ride was mostly quiet until Soda started a conversation with Chelsea about school.

"I really don't care much for school," she said, "I wish I never had to go back, it's lonely without Pony and Johnny."

"What about Two-Bit, isn't he in your grade?" Darry asked looking in the rear view mirror at her.

She gave them both a knowing look and Soda laughed. "Right, Two-Bit doesn't do school."

"Yeah, I really can't wait until the day is over for the party! I wish I could just take a half day."

They reached her house and Soda whistled at the size of it. "Wow, nice place."

She nodded, "Thanks," and unbuckled her seatbelt.

"Are you up there by yourself?" asked Darry sadly.

"Yeah, but only for the weekend then my dad gets back from his business trip."

He nodded at her and Chelsea thanked them for their kindness to her before unlocking the gate and waving goodbye.

* * *

"OMG! I totally love your skirt it's too cute!"

"No, I love your dress!"

Chelsea groaned and rested her head in her arms. It was only 5 minutes through fourth period and already she wanted to crawl into a hole and die. Everyone at the school was driving her insane.

"Only one hour and a half until school is over," she thought to herself staring at the slow-moving hands of the clock.

Suddenly the intercom buzzed. "Would Marlene Young please report to the office? There's an urgent phone call from her father."

The class went silent and everyone stared at her as if she'd just murdered someone. She slowly looked up at her teacher who nodded her head to give her permission to leave.

She stood up, grabbed her bags and left the class without a second thought. As she walked through the halls she wondered why on earth her father would be calling the school. He never affiliated himself with the school. In fact, the only time she'd ever seen her father at school was when…

She shook her head, forcing those horrible memories out of her mind. She reached the office and wrapped her arms around her torso trying to hold herself together for the secretaries.

"I'm Marlene, I heard there was a phone call from my father?" she asked softly.

The bland-faced secretary did not look up from her typing but raised one hand to point to the rotary phone across the mahogany desk.

"Thanks," she mumbled before walking over to the phone.

Chelsea took a deep breath to steady herself before closing her eyes and picking up the receiver.

"Dad?" she whispered fearfully.

There was laughter from the other end of the phone and she smiled recognizing the voice.

"Hey, Steve." She sighed in relief.

The secretary gave her an odd look and Chelsea's face fell. "I mean dad,"

More laughter sounded on the other end of the phone and she heard Two-Bit's voice. " What's going on Mickey?"

"I don't know you tell me," she said in a serious tone so the secretary's suspicions wouldn't rise.

"Soda told us to call you to get you out of school early." Steve explained, "I used my best Elvis impersonation for your dad's voice."

Chelsea bit her lip to prevent her from laughing out loud. "Tell him that I'm very grateful for his consideration, also that is quite amusing."

Steve laughed, "Let me guess, the secretary is right beside you?"

"Yes."

Just then, the secretary got to her feet and announced that she was going to run an errand and that she'd be back soon.

The door closed; Chelsea smiled and leant back against the counter. "Okay she's gone Steve, thank you so much for calling I'm so bored, I hate school."

"School sucks... Oh and how was your date with Dallas last night?"

She shrugged, "It went well."

"Are you two, uh, dating now?" he asked in a provocative voice.

Chelsea rolled her eyes, "Yeah, Dally proposed, we're going to get married Steve!"

"Really?" he asked loudly.

"No," she shook her head trying not to laugh.

"Oh, then what did happen?"

Chelsea opened her mouth to respond but at that exact moment the Principal walked into the office and nodded at her,

"It was fine Dad, now what did you need me to do?"

The sound of Steve groaning echoed in Chelsea's ear and she pressed her lips in a thin line to keep from smiling.

Arguing sounded and Two-Bit's voice boomed in the receiver, "Okay Mickey, here's what we're gonna do. Repeat after me; Oh no!"

"Oh no!" she echoed, making her face look concerned. The Principal eyed her over her stack of papers on the desk.

"Very good," Two-Bit continued, "Now say; I understand, I'll be right there."

Chelsea repeated what Two-Bit told her to say.

"Okay, now when you hang up the phone tell the secretary that your dad needs you home because there's a family emergency-give as little information as possible. Ya dig?"

"Yes."

She could hear a smile in Two-Bit's voice when he said, "Now you go home and get ready for the party, we're all excited for it!"

"Thanks guys," she softly said so the Principal wouldn't accidentally overhear.

"Don't mention it!" Two-Bit and Steve echoed.

"Bye." She replied.

"See ya!"

The girl slammed the receiver down and looked up at the principal concerned.

"My dad he- he said there's family trouble, I have to go home right away."

The woman's shifty eyes melted to panic. Everyone at the school knew Chelsea lost her mother a few months ago and that she couldn't afford to lose anyone else.

"You can go then dear, I hope everything turns out alright for you Ms. Young."

"Thank you," Chelsea nodded adjusting the strap of her brown leather messenger bag before bolting out the door.

Once she reached the school grounds she let out a happy shriek and sprinted towards the bus stop so she could get home.

Thank God for those boys! She thought to herself as she boarded the city bus headed for her neighborhood.

* * *

"POOL PARTY!"

"Two-Bit, it's freezing do you seriously want to jump in Chelsea's pool?"

"Not right now Tim, I'm not drunk enough yet! But I will be,"

The party was in full swing and everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves with the whiskey and food Chelsea set out for everyone, not to mention the jukebox she had playing. The party was being held in backyard.

Most of the guys brought dates and spent most of their time making out while everyone else drank and joked around merrily.

Chelsea spent most of the night conversing Evie but the moment Soda and Steve showed up, she was lost.

"Nice party," Steve commented with Evie on his arm, "do you mind if we-"

"Yes, go ahead."

Steve and Evie gave her a grateful look before darting towards the woods.

"Hey Chels," Soda smiled and Chelsea grinned.

"Hey," but then she noticed that Soda looked upset.

She frowned, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing,"

"It's not nothing Sodapop, something's up. Are you okay?"

Just as he opened his mouth to speak, a tipsy Two-Bit appeared with a blonde girl in tow.

"Heyyy baby, how you doin?" he slurred as nodded at Chelsea.

"Isn't that Curly's girl?" Soda asked irritably as he glanced at the giggling blonde on Two-Bit's arm.

Two-Bit hiccoughed, "Yeah, she got bored with him so I'm enter-entertaining her now."

"MATTHEWS!" An angry voice sounded from across the patio. A furious looking greaser sped over to where the four of them were standing and swung his fist at Two-Bit who-with oddly quick reflexes for a drunk person-ducked out-of-the-way.

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING WITH MAUREEN?!"

Soda rolled his eyes and Chelsea nodded, "Follow me," she whispered.

She took off and ran towards a small red building about an acre away from her house.

He followed her and together they stepped into the small barn house. There were two horses inside along with a wall covered in riding gear, awards and ribbons. She shut the door behind them and led Soda over to the first horse-it was a chestnut mare with a strip of white down its face.

She stepped forward and rested her hand on its muzzle. "This is Rocinante, my mother's horse. My mom got him when she was my age and she competed in events with him. They were champions."

Sodapop smiled and pet the horse too. "He's a beauty,"

Sighing Chelsea replied, "Yes, he is. Poor thing, he misses her. They were best friends."

"I had a horse like that once," said Soda softly sinking into the hay bale pile beside Rocinante's pen. "It wasn't really my horse, but I loved him as if he was mine. I named him Mickey Mouse and he was an ornery pony. He belonged to some stable, and I took care of him when I worked there. Then one day I went to work and he wasn't there. Someone bought him and I never saw him ever again."

Chelsea watched his face become clouded with gloom; He must've really loved that horse… she thought sadly.

"I'm sorry," she said sitting down next to him. "That's the worst feeling in the world-losing your best friend. Your whole world kind of just… ends."

He nodded and looked into her warm eyes, "I never told anyone this before-not even Sandy but I cried for weeks when he got sold away."

"Life has a funny way of doing things, you're given something wonderful and great then one day it just disappears and there's nothing you can do but mourn. It's not fair."

Soda leaned back against the pen gate, "Life sucks."

A loud whinny sounded from the other side of the stables and Chelsea got to her feet. "That'll be my horse Cinnamon, he's looking for attention-that silly rascal."

She helped Soda to his feet and he followed her to the other pen where a tan-colored horse was impatiently scraping his hoof on the ground.

The moment Soda saw the horse his face lit up like a kid on Christmas. "MICKEY MOUSE? IS THAT YOU BOY?"

The horse responded by sticking his head out of the pen and nibbling on Soda's jean jacket.

"It is you!" he wrapped his arms around the horse's head and the horse nuzzled him back gently.

Chelsea's eyes widened, "This is Mickey Mouse?"

Soda laughed, "Yes! Oh Mickey, I thought I'd never see you again. I've missed you boy."

She smiled at Soda's blissful face and shook her head. "What a coincidence,"

"How did you get him?" He added, petting the horse's mane.

Furrowing her brow Chelsea tried to remember, "I believe I had just turned twelve when I got him. My dad bought him for me to learn to compete like my mother had. He said went to watch a race one day and Cinna-Mickey was the winning horse and he wanted me to have the best so he bought Mickey from the race track that day."

Soda looked at her flabbergasted, "I'm sorry! I didn't know you worked there, if we were friends then I wouldn't have let my dad give me Mickey- I would've told him to just-"

He cut her off by putting a finger to her lips. "Thank you," he said as he withdrew it.

She cocked her head at him feeling a little confused. "For what?"

Soda explained, "For years I've had nightmares about Mickey being sold to a glue factory or to some labor camp where they would whip him and abuse him. It haunted me that maybe he was being hurt and there was nothing I could do to help him. But then you; you amazing Chelsea, you're the one who's had him this whole time. He's belonged to you. So while I was tossing and turning in bed thinking about some horrible person hurting Mickey Mouse, he's been here with you and he's extremely lucky because I know you would never hurt him. I'm so glad you have him, I can't imagine anyone I'd rather have him with."

Touched by his kind words Chelsea blushed and looked down. "Thanks," she mumbled.

He grinned, and went back to petting his horse.

"Would you like to take him out for a ride?" She asked when her face was no longer bright red.

Soda's eyes widened, "Seriously?"

"Sure! You can take Mickey and I'll take Rocinante."

He grinned and she grabbed the saddle for Mickey Mouse and tossed it to Soda before going to Rocinante and suiting him up.

She zipped up her leather motorcycle jacket and changed from her heels to her black riding boots. She mounted her horse and met Soda at the rear of the stables facing the woods.

"The trails aren't to tricky to navigate, just stick to the path and you'll be fine." She said as she tied her wavy brown hair into a high ponytail.

Soda looked at her and spoke: "Alright, so should we ride side by side or one-"

"Try and catch me!" she exclaimed flicking her reins gently to usher Rocinante to giddy up. Her horse charged forward leaving a determined Soda in the dust.

"I'll find you Young!" he called to her before taking off with Mickey Mouse.

She laughed and sped her horse up once she reached the border of the forest. The sun was setting still in the distance so there was a little light illuminating the path-but Chelsea had ridden here so many times before that it made no difference to her. She could navigate these trails backwards and blindfolded.

Chelsea loved riding, the fresh hair pumping through her lungs, the wind rushing through her hair. She shut her eyes taking it all in when suddenly she heard galloping behind her-Soda was gaining!

She urged her steed forward and stuck her tongue out at Soda. They raced down the hill together neck and neck and when the path turned back up the hill Chelsea took the lead riding hard and fast until she reached the entrance of the barn.

"I win!" she cheered and Rocinante as if sensing his rider's glee, neighed and rose up on his hind legs.

Soda shook his head, "Shoot, you're too good."

She blew him a kiss and dismounted her mother's horse to lead him into the stables. Soda copied her and once both horses were placed in their pens safely Soda turned to his friend.

"I guess we'd better join the party?"

"I guess so."

They left the stable and chatted about horses and racing.

"You know, anytime you want to come visit Mickey Mouse, you can." She told him.

He grinned widely, "Really?!"

"Of course! I won't let you two remain separated forever."

Still smiling Soda took her hand in his and squeezed it but once he realized what he had done he dropped it abruptly.

"So um, you never told me what you were upset about." Chelsea began shyly.

He stopped and glanced at her, "Nothing, honestly I just had a bit of a rough day but I'm okay now I guess."

She nodded understanding he didn't feel like talking now. They resumed walking and once they reached her stone patio they stood together beside the pool.

"How did your date with Dally go last night?" he asked casually trying not to look anxious.

She undid her ponytail, allowing her wavy brown hair to tumble around her shoulders. "It went… okay."

Not wanting to push her Soda looked down at his lap. Her eyes followed his and she sighed.

"Actually no I'm lying, it didn't go well." Soda lifted his head to meet her eyes at this statement.

"What happened?"

She wrapped her coat around her tighter, "It started out well; we both had a lot of fun at the movie. We joked around, drank champagne and made fun of the other couples together."

Turning her head to face the woods she continued, "But when he dropped me off at home I realized that we're both looking for different things. Dally needs someone not as fucked up as I am and I need someone to talk to, someone who I can joke around with but at the same time have deep conversations with."

Soda gave her a smile, "You're not fucked up; you're just as sane as I am."

Beaming Chelsea turned to him, "Thanks.. But that's not it. Dally asked me if I had feelings for someone else."

His eyes widened in surprise, "What did you say?"

"I said I don't know, I don't know if he even knows I have feelings for him."

Slowly Soda started leaning towards her. "Who?" he asked, his voice lighter than a whisper.

Chelsea was about to say the boy's name but then Soda leant in further and all the oxygen vanished from her brain. She closed her eyes and decided to just let it happen but then-

"POOL PARTY!" Two-Bit shouted and he ran towards them in a zigzag pattern before finally bursting through them and landing in the pool taking Soda and Chelsea with him.

"WHAT THE FUCK TWO-BIT?!" Shouted Soda once he resurfaced. He splashed his friend angrily until he was sputtering water.

Two-Bit continued to laugh "Sorry buddy,"

Chelsea giggled and climbed out of the pool. She'd managed to keep her head above the water when she fell in but Soda's hair was sopping wet.

"Here," she said leaning her hand out to help him out.

He looked at her, then at the water before taking her hand and pulling her back into the pool. She screamed and he laughed at her. She splashed him and they began an epic splash battle that lasted such a long time that when they decided to come out of the pool, everyone had gone home.

"What the fuck?" Chelsea wondered aloud looking at her destroyed patio covered in whiskey bottles.

"I guess everyone headed to the after-party." Soda said shivering under his soaking wet garments.

She frowned at him in puzzlement but he elaborated that Steve had planned to take everyone to trash one of the Socs hangouts as an after-party.

"Oh…"

She led him to the shed where she kept her towels and tossed him one.

"You can dry up outside while I change into clothes in here."

He shrugged and toweled himself off letting her change. As soon as she was done she tossed him a jacket that was her father's.

"Thanks," he said putting it on.

"Sodapop? Chelsea? Thank God you're both still here." A voice sounded from across the patio.

Darry stood looking extremely frazzled.

"What's wrong?" Soda asked.

"It's Ponyboy, he was in a fire."

* * *

**A/N: Dun dun dunn! Okay most of you probably know what happens next but still ;) anyways, thank you for your continued support and reviews! I appreciate each and every one of your comments-honestly; every time I see that I have a new review it just makes my day. Even if you put something as little as a smiley face as a review I still get super happy! So thank you for that and I will try to upload the next chapter as quick as i can but exams are coming up so I might not have as much time as I'd like... I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter- tell me who you're rooting for- Pony, Soda or Dally and I'll see if I can add more of them to the story. It's getting good, :D! Please leave a review!**


	8. The Bond of Family

**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders, all rights belong to their owners. My claim is only on Chelsea and her family. **

* * *

Chelsea lay her head against the window in the backseat of Darry's truck and listened to him explain what had happened.

"Ponyboy, Dally and Johnny were in a fire in Windrixville," he explained as they drove down the winding road. "I'm not sure exactly what happened but they're alive, at least for now."

Soda said nothing, He continued to stare out the passenger seat window with a panicked expression on his face; he was terrified for his little brother.

Chelsea reached forward and put her hand on his arm. "Hey, he'll be okay. Don't worry."

Soda turned to her and nodded before looking back to the road absent-mindedly. She leant back in her seat and silently hoped Ponyboy and the other boys were safe.

* * *

Once they reached the hospital, the three of them sprinted to the receptionist and asked for Pony. She told them he was in the waiting room and sent them with directions to the elevator for that floor.

But Soda couldn't wait for the elevator; instead he ran to the central staircase and sprinted up it leaving Darry and Chelsea still waiting for the elevator doors to open.

Chelsea bit her lip in the anxious silence before speaking softly to the eldest Curtis brother;"Darry, when you see him, be open with him. He wants to feel like he matters to you."

She looked away quickly hoping she hadn't crossed the line. She only wanted to help them, Ponyboy is her best friend and she knew he hated it when he and Darry fought.

Darry bowed his head down sheepishly but lifted his eyes in an affirmative look. The elevator opened and they swiftly stepped in.

"He looks up to you, you know." She continued once the doors closed. "He absolutely adores you and he just wants to know that you love him too."

Darry shuffled his feet nervously and sighed, "I know, I just… I'm not great at telling people how I feel."

"Try," she urged, placing a hand on his arm, "try for him because if you don't-you're gonna lose him. Ponyboy is sensitive to people's emotions and if you tell him how you felt when you found out he was gone, he'll understand."

Bing! The doors separated and they both walked out. Darry glanced at his female friend unsure.

"Trust me." She smiled boring into him with her hazel-green eyes.

She turned and walked towards Soda who had just reached their floor. He looked from her to two men sitting on a bench a few feet away then took off with a determined stride.

The boy on the bench got up just before Soda tackled him in a bear hug. She grinned recognizing the blonde boy to be her best friend and sped up to reach them.

"Ponyboy, your hair! Your tuff, tuff hair." Soda lamented picking at Pony's now bleached-blonde hair.

Chelsea shook her head and walked over to them. "You greasers and your hair, I swear you're worse than Soc girls!"

The moment Ponyboy spotted her, his smile widened and he beamed at her with such force Chelsea felt as though she was staring at the surface of the sun.

"CHELSEA!" He exclaimed throwing himself at his best friend. She giggled ecstatically as he hugged her tightly, picked her up and spun her around the room.

Setting her down gently, he continued to gaze at her in unmistakable joy. "I forgot how strong you were." She remarked, slugging him on the arm and grinning playfully.

"I missed you." He said in earnest, his green eyes insistent and serious.

The brunette smiled, " I missed you too. Never run away again, unless you take me with you."

He smiled and ran his fingers through his short blonde hair. Suddenly, his face froze and he seemed to be staring a million miles away.

She spun around and watched Darry walk down the hallway, his head hung in shame, dark eyes on Pony's light ones.

Without skipping a beat, Ponyboy ran to his older brother who enveloped him in a hug.

"I thought we lost you like we did mom and dad." He sobbed, clutching his kid brother to his chest.

Ponyboy murmured reassuring words and Soda joined in the hug with a huge smile on his face. He looked beyond happy to see that his brothers had made up and held his now-fixed family close.

They all hugged each other and smiled together like a big happy family. Chelsea watched them and smiled; they were a unit, no matter what-they stuck together and loved each other no matter what. She looked down somberly and thought about how fucked up her family was now; her mother gone, her father an abusive alcoholic who wanted to marry her off to the town idiot. What she wouldn't give to have siblings that always had her back like the Curtis brothers do. At the end of the day, there was nothing stronger than the bond of family.

"You boys," she mumbled shaking her head and smiling.

They all looked up at her with teary smiles before breaking apart and sitting on the bench together to hear Ponyboy's side of the story.

He told them that he'd been living in a church on Jay Mountain, Windrixville with Johnny for the past week, eating nothing but baloney sandwiches and reading Gone With the Wind. He relayed what had happened earlier that day, when Dallas came to check on them, they left a cigarette in the church and it caught on fire while school children were trapped inside. Him and Johnny saw the burning building and leapt inside to save the kids but in the process they both got burned, only Johnny's was much more severe.

"You know, Johnny was gonna turn himself in," Ponyboy said miserably. "He wanted the cops off the both of us and figured he'd get off easy… The only reason we passed by that church was to grab our things before Dallas took us back here. Then instead of driving us, he ended up saving the both of us from burning to death."

Chelsea took his hand in hers and squeezed it, letting him know she was there and that everything was going to be okay. She wanted him to feel safe with her, and with his brothers.

However, the bustling reporters and policemen would not allow him this comfort as they continued to fire off rapid questions at the poor boy who was in no state of mind to answer them. They backed off once Darry flexed a muscle and told them to leave Ponyboy alone.

Soda decided to bug them back, grabbing a reporter's hat and clipboard and he went around interviewing everyone in the room, asking them extremely random questions with the goofiest smiles. His antics made everyone laugh. At one point he grabbed one of the reporter's microphones and gave them a performance of Viva Las Vegas. He scooped up Chelsea and spun her around while everyone pat their knees to make a bongo drum sound.

When the performance was over, the two friends took a bow and smiled. Chelsea went back to her seat and cracked up along with Ponyboy and Darry at Soda's dorky behavior.

The reporters took a lot of pictures, in which Chelsea hid herself from. The last thing she needed was her dad opening his morning paper to find his daughter's face plastered on it with some, as he would say, 'hoodlums'.

"What's your name honey?" one of the friendlier reporters asked having followed her away from the photo-taking.

She curled a piece of her wavy hair around her finger before replying, "I'm Chelsea."

"How about a last name?" another reporter nearby asked in an irritated tone.

Thinking quickly she answered, "Evans."-her mother's maiden name. She didn't want her father's name connected to what was going on here.

"Chelsea Evans, are you one of their girlfriends?" the irritated reporter inquired eyeing her suspiciously.

She crossed her arms, "Yeah, I'm engaged to Sodapop over there." She responded with as much sarcasm as she could muster. They both stared at the 16-year-old who had attempted to grab the police officer's gun and was now grinning like a fool.

He locked eyes with her and she smiled. That kid was too funny.

The reporter still looked annoyed and repeated the question to which he received the answer.

"I'm a friend of the family,"

Smirking, the reporters jotted down a note before moving on to question some other people.

They continued asking the brothers questions, and taking pictures of the three of them. At one point Ponyboy looked over to the man sitting across from him whom he called Jerry, and asked why they were taking so many pictures.

"It's because the three of you are so darn good-looking." He answered with a smile.

Chelsea looked at her best friend and nodded, "ALL of you are." placing an emphasis on the word all, because she knew Ponyboy didn't think he was as good-looking as Soda or Darry but the truth was, they were all handsome in their own way. Darry was dark and mysterious looking while Soda was golden, and Ponyboy was light and handsome.

* * *

At one point, the paparazzi seemed to be leaving and as she watched them all leave, she spotted a doctor out of the corner of her eye. Without a word she bolted over to him.

"Doctor? Do you know what the condition of Dallas Winston and Jonathan Cade is?" she asked hoping he would know something.

He took off his glasses and wiped them on his white lab coat. "Dallas will be just fine, he's had some minor burns on his right arm which are healing up quickly-he'll be out in a couple of days. But Mr. Cade, however, was not so fortunate. A beam from the church fell on his back and paralyzed him. He's had some work done but I'm afraid there's nothing we can do for him." He answered in a bored voice, putting his glasses back on and sighing in uninterest.

_Nothing we can do…._ Those words echoed in her mind and haunted her memories. They were the same words the doctor treating her mother had said to her and her father. She felt herself about to fall to pieces again, remembering that hopeless, drowning feeling overwhelming her but then a thought abruptly came to her.

"How much will the operation cost to correct his back?" she questioned him in a determined voice.

He looked at her in surprise, "I don't kn-"

Chelsea cut him off, "I know how this works Doc, you're all in this for the money, you don't give a damn about whether the patient lives or dies because it's nothing off your salary. You deny proper healthcare to Johnny because you think he's a hoodlum, you think he's street scum and he doesn't matter to anyone. Well you know what, he's got a family of friends who care deeply for him and he's a hero! He saved the lives of many children and you're just going to let him die from his injuries without doing anything? That is why I ask you again, how fucking much for the operation, because I know you won't get off your ass to save this boy without initiative."

He stared at her dumbstruck for a moment: his mouth agape before closing it, clearing his throat and speaking, "Ten thousand dollars and we can hire a specialist for restorative spinal surgery-this will fix his back and it will cover the skin graft surgery we will need to do."

She reached into her purse and pulled out her checking book before making a check to the hospital for 10 000 dollars. She signed her name and handed it to him.

"This goes straight to the hospital not your bank account and one more thing." She said leaning in close to him so he could hear her better.

" This conversation never happened. Johnny is not being saved because of money; he's being saved because he goddamn deserves it! You tell those boys that Johnny isn't going to die. The last thing they need now is to lose another person close to them."

The doctor nodded sympathetically and began walking towards them but stopped and looked back at her.

"We're not all like that you know, it's just… if we want to save someone it comes out of our own pocket and I just can't afford to lose any more money right now. I'm sorry."

She glared at him and said nothing. He sighed and walked away to tell the Curtis brothers about Johnny and Dallas' s condition.

From across the room she watched the brothers exhale sighs of relief and hug each other happily. Sighing in relief and exhaustion, she leant back against the wall and sank down to the floor.

Pony skipped over to her in high spirits, "Did you hear that Cheslea?! Dally and Johnny are gonna be okay!"

Grinning she told him that she had heard and asked him to help her to her feet. He did and pulled her to him before wrapping his arms around her gleefully.

The girl hugged him back and inhaled the smoke that was emanating from his clothes. She gagged and pushed him away, "Boy, you smell like a bonfire!"

He laughed, took her arm and led her over to where Soda and Darry were. "Time to go home," Darry said with a sleepy smile when he saw them.

* * *

The four of them left the hospital, promising to be back soon, and climbed into Darry's truck. Ponyboy, Chelsea and Soda sat in the back huddled together while Darry drove them home.

"I'd offer you a ride home Chelsea but I'm afraid I'll fall asleep behind the wheel, would you be okay with sleeping over at our house again tonight?" Darry asked looking at her reflection in the rear-view mirror.

She yawned, "Sure, if it's not too much trouble."

"It's never too much trouble, you are always welcome to stay with us Chelsea. Besides, Soda and Pony usually share a bed so tonight you can sleep in Soda's."

Nodding sleepily she felt herself falling asleep. Her head rested on Ponyboy's shoulder as she fixed herself to lean against his warmth. He wound his arm around her back to keep her warm while Soda laid his head against the window to rest.

All of them were practically zombies from their state of tiredness. Chelsea fell fast asleep on her friend's shoulder while he stayed awake recollecting the day's events. Darry drove over a pothole and swerved the car hard to the left to avoid a collision. The swerve sent Chelsea to Soda as her head fell against his shoulder-while she remained fast asleep.

Soda looked from her sleeping smile to Pony's slightly surprised face. They met eyes and Ponyboy gave him a light smile which said, 'it's okay.' Soda finally relaxed; smiled and leant his head on top of Chelsea's so he could rest for a bit.

* * *

They soon arrived at their destination and the rumbling of the engine came to a stop. Soda immediately awoke and gently shook Ponyboy.

"Come on Pony, we're tired too." Pony didn't stir, but he managed to awake Chelsea who smiled up at him.

"We're home at last," Soda said to her and she murmured something unintelligible then stretched her arms behind her head. The red and white Letterman jacket she'd gotten from running track went up with her arms exposing her striped black and white tank-top and her jean shorts.

Soda couldn't help but stare at her but he was brought back to reality when the door on their left opened and Darry picked Ponyboy up to carry him to the front door.

Soda opened the door on his side and followed them with Chelsea behind him. "He's getting pretty big to be carried," Soda mumbled opening the door for them.

Chelsea watched them set Ponyboy down for bed before quickly heading to the kitchen to grab a glass of water before bed. Soda eventually joined her there.

"Thanks," he said looking into her eyes.

She finished swallowing her drink before cocking her eyebrows at him and responding with, "For what?"

"For staying with us in the hospital all night, you didn't have to do that."

She shrugged, "I know, but I had to make sure everyone would be okay. "

"Yeah, you hate seeing people upset, don't you?"

Chelsea frowned, thinking about what Soda said when out of nowhere he placed a kiss on her cheek. Extremely surprised, she put a hand where his lips had come into contact with his skin and gazed at him in disbelief.

"Goodnight Chels," he said backing out of the kitchen. He bumped into the wall and jumped, turning around to stare at it. This made Chelsea crack up, he gave her a warm smile and walked into Ponyboy's room.

The brunette shook her head and walked into Soda's room, as if in a trance and settled herself in his bed.

"Could Dally be right?" she whispered to herself in the dark. "Do I have feelings for Soda or Pony?"

She lay awake staring at the ceiling trying to think things through. Eventually she gave up and surrendered herself to sleep, promising to work everything out tomorrow.

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm back! Sorry for the hiatus :s so I've reached a sort of cross-road with the story and depending on certain factors it could go either way right now... Anyways, I really hope you guys are enjoying this story as much as I am and I want you all to know that I really appreciate the reviews! :) Thank you all so much for your kind comments! Next chapter will be posted at or around this time next week (possibly earlier if I come up with a muse for the next chapter) ;) Please, please keep on reviewing honestly its such a great motivation for me. So feed the muse; review! What do you think will happen next? Which pairing is your favourite? Please leave a review! Thank you lovely people! :) :D**


	9. One Crazy Morning

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders; Chelsea and her family belong to me.**

* * *

The mouth-watering smell of eggs and bacon invaded Chelsea's nostrils and brought her from her dreamland.

"Mmmm!" she murmured, stretching her limbs out and smiling with her eyes squeezed shut. The aroma was delicious and making her hungrier by the minute. Eventually, she gave into her stomach's incessant moans and rose from the soft warmth that was Sodapop's bed. The young girl carefully tiptoed over a pair of jeans and a DX shirt that had been strewn carelessly on the floor. She then exited the room, followed the wonderful smell until she reached the kitchen; where, presently, Ponyboy was cooking breakfast over the stove-top.

Having seen her in his peripheral vision, the youngest Curtis brother turned to her and gave her a friendly smile.

"Hey," he said softly.

Half-smiling she replied, "Morning. So umm, what's for breakfast?"

Turning back to look at the frying pan he answered her; "I'm making eggs and bacon. How do you like your eggs?"

She leant against the kitchen wall and responded with a smile, "Poached."

Ponyboy glanced at her with a befuddled look on his face. "I uh," he mumbled, "don't really know how to make that."

"It's okay, I like my eggs any which way. How do you guys normally eat them?"

A small smile formed on the boy's lips as he spoke. "We all like them differently, Darry eats his in a bacon-tomato sandwich, I take mine plain and Soda eats his with grape jelly."

Chelsea couldn't help but laugh at this. "Grape jelly? That boy is strange." She said while shaking her head and smiling.

Ponyboy nodded, "Would you like some scrambled eggs?" he asked eagerly, "I know how to make those!"

Her grin spread wider as she replied that she loved scrambled eggs and then offered to help him make breakfast.

"There's a rule at our house," Ponyboy explained as he scrambled the eggs for Chelsea while she added the grape jelly to Soda's eggs and made Darry's sandwich.

"The first one up makes breakfast, the other two clean the dishes."

"I guess that means we don't have to worry about cleaning up then, huh?' the brunette said cheerfully.

Ponyboy smiled then set the eggs onto the table for everyone to eat. He watched his friend finish her cooking, ran his fingers through his short, bleached hair and sighed wistfully.

Noticing this Chelsea gave him a sympathetic glance, "You miss your old hair." She stated.

He closed his eyes and nodded. She put her free hand on his head and ruffled his hair. "It'll go back to its original color, don't worry."

Withdrawing her hand and grabbing the platter of food with the other she gave him a meaningful look. "Besides," she added, "I think you look hot, blonde."

Gazing at her in surprise, he watched her set the plate on the table before turning around and winking at him. He shook his head and walked back to the stovetop.

She followed him back and sat on the countertop beside him, watching while he prepared the remainder of their meal.

He looked up and smiled at her. She blinked and shifted her weight so she was angled towards him directly. "So what was it like up in Windrixville?"

He sighed and returned to cooking the other eggs in front of him. "It was awful. Me and Johnny had to live off of baloney for a week."

"Gross!" exclaimed Chelsea sticking out her tongue in disgust. There was no meat she hated more than baloney and she knew Pony was not too fond of the meat either.

He smirked, still focused on his cooking. "There were some nice moments though. Johnny bought me a copy of Gone With the Wind and I read it to him. Then we played poker for cigarettes and we got to watch the sunsets and sunrises there. It's really something Chelsea, I wish you could have been there to see it with me."

Scooping a cooked egg onto a plate, he peeked up to catch her reaction to what he had said. Chelsea's face looked saddened. "I wish I could have been there too Pony." She said wistfully.

"I thought about you…" he admitted sheepishly, " a lot. I missed you so much it hurt."

She gave him a half smile; "I really missed you too."

"No, I-" he put down his spatula and stepped in front of her. Gazing deep into her eyes, he took her hand in his and took a deep breath. "I like you Chelsea, I like you a lot and I-"

"Anybody home?" a familiar pair of voices echoed from the front of the house.

Ponyboy groaned, and released her hand.

"In here!" he shouted then blinking in astonishment at his angry tone he added politely; "Don't slam the door!"

In response, the door slammed loudly and two rambunctious greasers ran into the kitchen, picked Ponyboy up and spun him around the room-ignoring the many protests of the boy who was holding a frying pan containing a few uncooked eggs in his hands.

On egg went flying and the other flipped around in the pan. "Dammit, look what you made me do!" the young boy shouted angrily, setting down his pan to go clean up the egg from the clock where it had landed.

Chelsea laughed and greeted the boys with a warm smile.

Two-Bit laughed loudly, "Look at the blonde-headed monkey!"

Ponyboy pouted as he cleaned up one of the eggs which had fallen on the floor.

"You don't look like a monkey," Chelsea reassured her best friend, patting his back.

Two-Bit emitted a loud chuckle and Steve pulled out a newspaper article from his back pocket; "I never would have believed it if I hadn't seen it in that paper there."

He gestured to the page in his hands, "So tell me Ponyboy, what's it like being a hero?"

"What?" a befuddled Pony stood up and snatched the paper from Steve's hands.

"A hero man! Like a, like a, big shot even!" Steve explained.

Two-Bit took a swig of whiskey he'd grabbed from the fridge and Chelsea leant her head in to look at the article.

She scanned the article headline and let out a snort. "Juvenilles turned heroes. Yeah that's rich."

Two-Bit nodded, "That's my favorite part."

Ponyboy read a section of the article out loud; "They're charging Johnny with manslaughter. What do they mean if he recovers?!" he walked closer to Chelsea who was still sitting on top of the counter, cross-legged, looking concerned. Steve followed him.

"It also says how you saved them kids Ponyboy, they would have burned to death if it hadn't been for you." he said earnestly.

Pony's eyes widened and he glanced at Chelsea who was thinking the same thing. "An actual compliment from Steve."

Pony believed Steve hated him and this coming from him was almost touching. But Two-Bit interrupted with the comment;

"I bet Dallas'l be mad to know they didn't even mention his police record."

Steve snorted, "Ain't that the truth."

Chelsea smirked picturing what Dally would say when he found the article.

_"Bullshit," he would mutter as he crumpled up the paper into a ball, "complete and utter fucking bullshit."_

__"It's all about us," Pony's voice snapped Chelsea back to reality. "Darry, me and Soda. Not a thing about putting me and Soda in a boy's home?"

He slapped the paper down on the kitchen table and walked away muttering, " No way. They ain't putting me in a boy's home."

"They won't do that to heroes." Steve called after him.

The boys returned to the kitchen and Chelsea slipped off the countertop to converse with them.

"How did your little 'after-party' go last night?"

Steve flashed her a devilish grin. "We pissed them socs off big-time."

"Yeah," chimed in Two-Bit as he opened the ice box to look for a chocolate cake. "Not the best idea to trash a Soc hang-out but it was worth it-only…"

"Only, they were mad enough to change the date of the rumble to tonight rather than tomorrow night." Steve finished trailing after Ponyboy who was attempting to clean raw egg off of the clock's surface.

The girl's face fell and she shot Two-Bit a terrified look. "Aren't you guys worried?"

Two-Bit chuckled and looked back at her. "Mickey, it's mighty sweet of you to be worried but don't be. We're greasers, we can take care of ourselves against the Socs any day of the week."

She sighed. "I still worry about you guys."

Two-Bit put an arm around his friend. "Relax," he crooned, "we're tough boys. We put on our own shoes and everything. You need to stop worrying, have a slice of cake."

The chocolate cake, which he had fished out of the icebox, was now on the counter-set on a plate.

"Chelsea!" someone hollered. "Can you come here for a second!"

She slipped away from a hungry Two-Bit, and headed towards the voice of Darry who she assumed had called her.

"Yes Darr- oh my God Soda you're naked!" she exclaimed in shock, having walked towards the bathroom where Soda had just emerged from his shower wearing not even a towel.

She covered her eyes and whirled around, her back now to Soda, she was blushing as bright red as a tomato. "I'm s-s-s-sorry." She stuttered.

"That is why you need to wear pants to work Pepsi-Cola." Steve countered, while standing beside Darry on the other side of a bewildered Chelsea.

Soda, who was also a little embarrassed, shooed the snickering Steve away and asked Darry where his DX shirt was.

"In your room," Darry replied, buttoning his own shirt as he spoke.

Chelsea volunteered to get it and a pair of jeans for Soda so she could actually look him in the face.

When she returned from his room with clothing, she tossed him the clothes through the bathroom doorway. Lucky for her, he was wearing a towel around his waist so she wouldn't have to suffer any more awkwardness.

"I'm not sick, I can fight. If it was knives or chains or something it would be different." Protested Ponyboy to his elder brother.

Darry tightened his belt around his waist and replied that Pony could fight but asked Pony if he wanted him to stay home to take care of Pony.

"Don't worry Darry, me and Two-Bit will look after him." Chelsea said, wrapping an arm around her best friend's shoulder.

Darry chuckled, "Alright, but Chelsea, if Ponyboy smokes more than one pack of smokes today, skin him for me."

Chelsea smiled, "Will do."

"Oh yeah, if you lift more than one load of shingles on your back at a time, Chelsea and I will skin you." Ponyboy exclaimed staring his older brother down.

Darry shook his head and sighed, "Yeah yeah," he mumbled before shouting for Steve and Soda to hurry up for work.

"Hey Two-Bit, look Mickey's on!" Soda called from where he had landed on the couch.

Two-Bit appeared holding his breakfast; a plate of cake and a bottle of beer, his eyes transfixed on the screen.

"Chels!" Soda called, realizing she was in the room. Jumping off of the couch and he pulled her into the kitchen where they could talk in private.

She crossed her arms anxiously and raised an eyebrow at him in question. "Yeah?"

His eyes shone with mischief and excitement. He spoke quickly, as if what he needed to say was extremely important."I really need to talk to you, and it's important. I-"

"SODA! HURRY UP!" Steve cut him off from the living room where he was shoving a piece of cake down his throat.

Soda cursed under his breath then returned Chelsea's confused look. "I'm sorry, we'll talk later. Promise me, you'll be here tonight after the rumble? We can talk then, okay?"

Completely worried about what Soda was going to say, Chelsea could do nothing but nod in agreement; even though she had no idea what he wanted to talk about-she still felt a tingly feeling in the pit of her stomach.

"Thanks." He replied, grinning.

She hadn't noticed until the present moment but Soda's hands were on her upper arms. It felt comforting, in a way. Usually, she shied away from being human contact, besides the occasional hug. But Soda's touch was warm and friendly. She knew she could always trust herself to him because he'd never hurt her. Just like Ponyboy, he would never dream of hurting her. Those boys made her feel safer and at more at home than she did with anyone and she reveled in that.

He winked at her and turned around to find Steve and figure out what he wanted. Chelsea stood in the kitchen lost in her thoughts for a moment… Could Sodapop mean that he had feelings for her? Is that why he wanted to talk? His words swam though her head and she began feeling lightheaded. First Ponyboy and now this? What was a girl to do… She loved Ponyboy, he was her best friend and saved her when she thought her life was over. But Soda, he was just so reckless and managed to make her feel like the happiest girl in the world.

"We're gonna beat those Socs bad right Steve?" Soda exclaimed, his voice reaching from the living room to Chelsea's ears in the kitchen.

"Hell yeah!" Steve shouted in agreement, with a mouthful of chocolate cake. He grinned at his friend and they began to play fight.

Ponyboy smiled, "You gonna invite Sandy to hang out after the rumble?"

Everyone in the Curtis home stopped what they were doing and glared at Ponyboy through the awkward silence; everyone but Soda who hung his head sheepishly and Chelsea who hid her mortification by staying in the kitchen as opposed to joining the rest of the boys in the living room.

She listened to Steve explain, angrily, that Sandy was a lying pregnant bitch. Soon after Steve had Soda cheered up and led him out the door following Darry towards his car for work.

After having composed herself, Chelsea stepped into the living room to catch a glimpse of Soda running out the door. When he shut the screen behind him, he caught Chelsea's eye and winked at her before mouthing; 'see you later'.

Nodding, she mouthed back, 'be careful'. In response he shook his head and smiled at her. A honk sounded and Soda sprinted from the porch in panic, leaving the girl to watch him leave.

"What should we do today?" Chelsea asked, plopping herself on the couch where Two-Bit was munching on chocolate cake and watching Mickey Mouse.

"We're gonna visit Johnny," Ponyboy chirped from the other side of the room, "but first, we gotta clear up."

"You heard him Mickey," Two-Bit grumbled, gently nudging her, "the women need to clean the kitchen."

Chelsea smacked him hard on the shoulder then crossed her arms in indignation and muttering; "Sexist."

Confused, Two-Bit sat up. "What'd I do?"

Ponyboy rolled his eyes, "Two-Bit, you can't say stuff like that to Chelsea. She isn't like other girls."

Happy with her friend's response Chelsea shot him a sweet smile before nudging Two-Bit again.

"What?" he whined, while shoving another slice of cake into his mouth.

"Once Mickey Mouse is over, you're helping us clean." She said sternly.

Two-Bit groaned, but reluctantly agreed to help after Ponyboy promised to bake him another cake when they returned from the rumble. Soon after the kitchen was clean the three friends left to see Johnny and Dally.

* * *

Johnny was in terrible shape but ecstatic to see Ponyboy and Two-Bit. Hell, he even smiled at Chelsea which shocked her immensely. She ducked out to find the doctor she had spoken to in order to ask about Johnny's surgery.

She spotted the man and tapped his shoulder. "Excuse me," she coughed.

His eyes widened when they met hers and he gave her a small smile. "What can I do for you?"

"Johnny Cade, has he been given his surgery yet?" she asked in a determined voice.

"Not yet, but he will, tonight. Later once my assistant and the plastic surgeon's shifts start." The doctor assured her enthusiastically.

She pursed her lips into a thin line and nodded; unimpressed.

"If it helps, the surgeon should arrive around 7 or 8 tonight. Considering the short notice, you're lucky the surgery is being performed at all." He added sternly.

Chelsea glared at him. This is why she hated doctors; they believed they were above everyone because of the work they did and the money they made and it made her angry. It was assholes like him who let innocent people die because they 'didn't deserve help.' The surgery Johnny was undergoing should have been presented as an emergency option the moment his condition was diagnosed. Not held back.

"Yes, well please make sure you can do all you can for Mr. Cade. If anyone deserves help, it's this brave boy." She said as calmly as she could manage, hoping she could appeal to the man's better nature.

It worked. The man looked at her through his horn-rimmed glasses with his grey eyes full of pity and sighed. "I'll do my best miss, we all will."

With that he left to make his rounds, leaving Chelsea alone in the empty hallway. She shivered; she hated hospitals. They terrified her unless she had someone with her at all times.

Mentally she kicked herself for going on her own and made her way back to the hospital room as quickly as she could.

Just before she rounded the corner to Johnny's hospital room, she bumped into a familiar face…

* * *

**A/N: Hey guys I'm back! I'm so sorry I've been gone for a really long time but I've been dealing with a lot of personal issues lately and it gave me a really bad case of writer's block. Thank you all for ****the reviews and for everyone who stuck with me through this. I hate to end at a cliffhanger but I have so much to put in this chapter I gotta space it out. :) I hope you guys enjoy this chapter, I hope to be updating soon! Please keep sending reviews, they honestly make my day. You can say anything, like "My favorite color is purple, or I have a pet duck' or whatever and it makes me happy to see you care enough to review. Thank you guys! I promise I haven't given up this fic as long as you guys don't give up on me. :)**

**-Love, Melody.**


	10. Sweet Surrender

_**Disclaimer: I do not own The Outsiders. All rights belong to S.E Hinton. I only claim ownership of Chelsea and her family.**_

* * *

_So just a recap: Just before she rounded the corner to Johnny's hospital room, she bumped into a familiar face…_

* * *

"Two-Bit, where are you going?" she asked confused as her friend stood in front of her in his blue Mickey Mouse shirt, reminding her of her nickname.

"I'm going to the gift shop to get a book for Johnny, it's called run like the wind or something? I dunno, Pony just said to get it."

The brunette's eyes brightened, "Oh! You mean Gone with the Wind? That's a great book, I'll show it to you."

She led Two-Bit through the winding hallways to the gift shop where there was a rack of classic books like Wuthering Heights, Emma, Jane Eyre and others.

Her fingers traced the spines of the books until she found the one she needed. Smiling when her hand brushed against the familiar red cover, she plucked Gone with the Wind from the shelf and gave it to Two-Bit; all while keeping her gaze on the bookshelf.

"Are you gonna get anything Mickey?" he asked bemused at her concentrated expression.

Chelsea knelt down to reach the books at the bottom of the shelf. She took two; one with a purple dust cover and the other with a blue one.

She held them both up to Two-Bit, "Pride and Prejudice or Sense and Sensibility?"

"What and what or what and what?" he asked cocking his head down at her, utterly bewildered by the classic book titles.

She sighed, "The blue one or the purple one?"

Two-Bit shrugged, "Get both."

She bit her lip indecisively and glanced back down at her selections.

"Or if you want I can just…" Two-Bit trailed off and swiped a candy bar off of the table beside them. He moved so quickly Chelsea had to blink a few times to realize the candy was gone.

She shook her head, "Nah, I'll just buy both."

Rising to her feet she watched as Two-Bit hid Gone with the Wind under the crook of his arm and skipped out of the store.

Chelsea rolled her eyes. She couldn't shoplift. Just the thought of doing it terrified her. She was a big chicken when it came to doing illegal stuff. That was Two-Bit and Dally's department-they thrived on it.

After she paid for her books, she pulled the book bag she was given, over her shoulder and followed an impatient Two-Bit back towards Johnny's hospital ward.

As Two-Bit hurried into the room, he accidentally knocked over an IV stand in the hallway. Chelsea groaned loudly at her companion's clumsiness, and reluctantly picked it up. Just as she was about to enter the room she overheard a middle-aged woman speaking with a doctor nearby.

"You have to let me in, he's my only son and I need to speak with him!" The woman snapped at the doctor.

The young doctor mopped his brow with handkerchief and sighed loudly. "Look ma'am, I've sent a nurse in to inform your son that you wish to speak to him but I can't gurantee-"

A nurse emerged from Johnny's room and looked down abashedly. "Your son doesn't want to talk to you at the moment. I'm sorry."

Johnny's mother began screaming wildly and Chelsea feared for the nurse who looked like she was about to burst into tears. She wished she could do something to help but her brain couldn't come up with a response but her feet wouldn't listen. She found herself taking small steps towards the hysterical woman.

Suddenly, Johnny's mother clapped eyes on Chelsea and recognition spread through her features.

In that moment Chelsea noted that she had the same color hair as her son, and the same eyes. Only Johnny's were darker and rounder, they seemed like puppy eyes and this woman's eyes were dark and unfeeling. Black as coal.

"You girl! You're a friend of my son's. I've seen you and those hoodlums around town. Can you do me a favor?"

Chelsea blinked in response; unsure of how to answer.

"Go into that hospital room and give my son a message for me. I would do it myself but it seems as if Jonathan isn't in the mood for visitors."

As she spoke, Two-Bit and Ponyboy emerged from the room with teary eyes and broken spirits. They walked over to where Chelsea was standing looking at her as if it was time for them to go.

That, was when Mrs. Cade lost her shit.

"YOU LET THESE HOOLIGANS SPEAK TO MY SON BUT YOU WON'T LET ME, HIS OWN MOTHER SPEAK WITH HIM! THESE BOYS ARE NOTHING BUT TROUBLE!"

Two-Bit glared at her with tears in the corner of his eyes, "You can go straight to hell you abusive drunk! No wonder he hates your guts!"

Pony placed a hand on his shoulder to steady his friend and led him away from the mad woman.

Chelsea suddenly understood what the animosity was about. All this time, she thought it was just Johnny's father that was abusing him but it was also his mother. She never realized...

Mrs. Cade straightened herself up and looked back to Chelsea, "Will you talk to my son for me already!?" she repeated through clenched teeth.

The young girl shook her head determinedly. "Sober the fuck up then maybe I'll help you. No kid deserves a mother like you. No kid deserves to be abused."

The woman stood there in pure disbelief as Chelsea walked away to join her friends down the hall.

"Come on Pony, Two-Bit." She said annoyed, as she glanced back at the woman "she isn't worth our time."

Together the three of them walked down the hallway to Dally's room where he was currently arguing with his nurse over smoking in bed.

The nurse left the room muttering about how she didn't get paid enough to deal with this crap and Chelsea stifled a laugh.

"I'm glad to see the whole hero thing hasn't gone to your head Dal." She teased, seating herself on the edge of his bed.

He shrugged. "She's a bitch. Anyways, I'm so glad you guys are here, this place gives me the creeps."

"How are you doing Dally?" inquired Two-Bit, having toughened up from the encounter with Johnny's mother.

"I'm fine man; just can't wait to get out of here."

He lit his cigarette and let out a puff of smoke. "Ya know, Tim Shephard stopped by today. He was rubbing it in my face about the rumble. I can't believe I'm gonna miss it man."

"Don't worry Dally, you'll get your chance." Chelsea piped cheerfully. She knew Dallas was truly miserable because he wasn't going to be part of the fight and wanted to cheer him up. Secretly though, she was glad. This meant one less person that she cared about getting hurt.

Dally smirked at her and blew another smoke ring.

"How's Johnny?" he asked after a short silence.

Two-Bit shifted his weight and looked down at the ground as he spoke; "Listen Dal, I'm not really sure how this medical stuff works but, he don't look too good. He, uh, passed out cold before we left."

Ponyboy, who hadn't spoken in ages, let out a small whimper. It was almost inaudible to Dally and Two-Bit, but Chelsea heard it and immediately shot him a sympathetic look. She got up from Dally's bed and wrapped an arm around his chest. He buried his face in her hair as she let her head rest on his shoulder and sighed sadly thinking about poor Johnny.

Upon hearing the news, Dally's smirk was wiped off his face and a look of hopelessness crossed it before he rolled over in his hospital bed, so his face was away from his friends. The cigarette he had been smoking moments earlier was thrown across the hospital room.

"You still got that knife on you?" Dally mumbled, his back still to them.

"What?" Stammered Two-Bit.

"The knife." Dallas repeated, "give me it will you?"

Chelsea watched Two-Bit hesitate, and she knew why. That blade was his pride and joy. He kept it on him at all times. Hell, she bet he even slept with it under his pillow.

It was almost painful to watch him pull it out of his pocket, flick it open one last time and give it to Dallas. She knew parting with it would be extremely painful for him, even if it was for a day or so.

Dally held the knife in his hand, clenching the handle tightly in his fist. "We gotta get even with those Socs." He said softly.

"We gotta win it that rumble for Johnny, man!" he exclaimed, gaining volume. He twisted his torso so he could look the three of them in the eyes.

"We'll do it for Johnny!" His eyes were burning with passion as he rose; the knife in the air above him as if he was some sort of war general attempting to rile his troops.

Soon enough, that fire burnt out as Dally, physically and mentally exhausted, collapsed back on his bed; clutching Two-Bit's blade handle.

Chelsea let go of Ponyboy and stood over Dallas's form. He opened his eyes and looked at her.

Taking his free hand in hers she whispered soflty; "Please be careful." And planted a gentle kiss on his cheek.

Dally gazed up at her with his big eyes and nodded. An understanding passed through them; she knew what he was going to do, and she didn't like it but she was going to let him do it anyway. He knew that, and he also knew her heart would break if he, or anyone else got hurt in the rumble.

"Everything will be fine." His gaze seemed to communicate. Although an unflinching fear in Chelsea's betrayed her belief that it wouldn't be. And she was right…

* * *

"Are you okay Chelsea? You've barely touched your burger."

Chelsea shook the dark thoughts about the rumble from her brain and regained her composure for her concerned best friend.

"Yeah I'm fine, I'm just…" she trailed off noticing Pony's unwavering stare from her plate.

She smiled; "You can have it."

He thanked her and snatched the burger hungrily while Chelsea shook her head. That poor boy, having to live off baloney for a week...

She and Ponyboy were currently munching on burgers and fries at the Dingo courtesy of Two-Bit who was feeling oddly generous and currently flirting with some Soc girl.

This left Pony and Chelsea with much needed time alone to eat their food in their favorite booth by the window.

"What were you going to say?" Pony asked between bites of the delicious burger.

She took a deep breath, "It's nothing, I'm just… worried about you guys."

Chelsea ran her fingers through her wavy locks and kept her eyes off of Ponyboy.

The boy swallowed, then reached over the table to lay his free hand over hers.

"Hey," he said softly, "look at me."

He cupped her chin with his other hand, tilting it until her doe eyes were level with his.

"We're all going to be fine okay? It's just a game; like the ones we played in Narnia, Chelsea. It's a battle to determine the fate of Tulsa, will it be Socs or Greasers with the power?"

Pony's voice conveyed a comforting and exciting aspect, which still did not calm Chelsea's nerves about the rumble that night.

"Come on Chelsea, remember what you always used to say about battles?"

She sighed and the ghost of a smile appeared on her lips. "Good always conquers evil."

Ponyboy dropped his hand from her face. "Exactly," he said reassuringly.

She withdrew her hand from his, "I know, I'm being ridiculous worrying about something like this but it's just… you guys all mean the world to me and if I ever lost one of you, I just, I'd… I don't even want to think about it."

Chelsea turned her head and rested it in the palm of her hand while she gazed out the window sadly.

Ponyboy got up from his side of the booth and moved around the table until he was sitting beside her. He watched her stare out the window and silently wished she would stop worrying and smile again.

"Chelsea," he started again, taking her hand in his, "I know you're scared but listen to me; we're going to be fine. You need to stop worrying about us because we can take care of ourselves. We're greasers you know, and if I can slay a fierce, fire-breathing dragon, then I can handle some over privileged idiots with tight pants. "

She had turned back to face him the moment he spoke and when he finished she gave him a weak smile. "Yeah but without my help that dragon would have slain your ass."

He chuckled at her wit and melted when her bright smile returned.

"Fine, you wanna help me beat up the Socs? If the day we met is any indication, you're a good fighter."

Chelsea, who had just taken a sip of her pepsi, practically spat it out at this and shook her head incredulously; "No way! That was in defense, I'm a terrible fighter."

"Alright, but if you want you can stay at my house during the rumble. The second it's over I'll run in and tell you everything."

She grinned, "I'd like that."

"Then we'll do that, and when I come screaming in that we won, I'd better see a chocolate cake on that counter or Darry, Soda and I are gonna kick you out." He added jokingly.

"What happened to 'you can't make Chelsea clean up the house-she's not like other girls'?" she replied in mock surprise.

He shrugged; "You just make the best cakes."

She laughed and shoved him with her shoulder playfully, he shoved her back and they both stopped, staring into each other's eyes for a moment.

"You know, about what I was trying to say this morning…" Ponyboy began; an anxious expression crossed his face as he spoke.

Chelsea curled a piece of hair around her index finger and nodded. She had a feeling she knew what Pony was about to say and she mentally panicked in attempt to create a response for him.

Ponyboy continued, their hands still intertwined; "I don't really know how to say this but I like you Chelsea, like really really like you. More than a friend honestly, I remember the first day we met and I saw you- you looked like some vengeful angel sent to help me. Your hair was curled in a messy bun and you were wearing this pretty black lace dress with a veil…" he trailed off lost in thought.

Meanwhile, Chelsea was having an internal panic attack.

"He's gonna ask me out! Oh my God! I haven't decided what to say yet! What am I supposed to do? Okay just smile Chelsea, yes relax. Don't panic, just smile, just smile, just- you're panicking..."

Pony continued; "Anyways, I guess what I'm asking is, will you-"

"Those girls know how to party, I'll tell you that much!" exclaimed Two-Bit throwing himself into the seat across from them.

Ponyboy jumped like he'd been touched by a live wire and jerked away from her. She hadn't realized how close they had been sitting until that moment.

Luckily though, Two-Bit was either too drunk or too oblivious to realize what had been going on between them and just continued rambling on about Soc girls and how many numbers he got in the few minutes he was away.

"You okay Pony? You look kinda sick?" Two-Bit inquired looking his friend over.

Ponyboy was bright red from embarrassment and anger due to Two-Bit interrupting yet again when he tried to ask Chelsea an important question. The entire time Two-Bit spoke he was fuming silently. Him asking Pony if he was okay was the cherry on top of Ponyboy's sundae of rage.

"I'm fine, I just need some air." He said and got up from the table to leave the diner as fast as he could.

Two-Bit watched him leave then returned his attention to Chelsea. "What's eatin' him?" he asked, legitimately confused as to why Ponyboy was upset.

Chelsea shrugged, pretending to be oblivious "No idea. I'll go grab him before some Soc does."

She slid out of her booth and left a still confused Two-Bit to question why Ponyboy was acting so strangely.

Chelsea stepped out into the sunlight and inhaled deeply. It really was a lovely day despite the few rainclouds gathering in the distance. Some catchy song was playing overhead through the speakers.

**Surrender**

**Every word, every thought every sound**

**Surrender**

**Every touch, every smile, every frown**

'Now, where would Pony go?' she asked herself as she surveyed the parking lot. Her friend was nowhere in sight but she decided he might be around the corner smoking a cigarette-a normal habit for him whenever he got upset. Shaking her head, she remembered her promise to Darry to skin Pony if he smoked more than one pack today.

She took off and headed around the circular building while she thought about what Ponyboy would say when she found him.

He was going to ask her out-this she was certain about. She just had no idea what to tell him. That she had feelings for him too? That she was pretty sure she might like Soda as well?

Her head was spinning and she held her arm out to lean on the wall of the building in order to steady herself. What did she feel for him?

A part of her said she did like him, and she wanted to say yes. Then another part of her said she was acting too fast. She sighed, who was she kidding? She did have feelings for Pony, a little more than one should have for a friend. But she also may have a teensy little crush on Soda too. Then again, it wasn't like Soda would notice her; anyways he deserved a better girl, a prettier girl. A girl that isn't as messed up as her.

She did like Ponyboy though. She liked the way he could get so into things; the way he loved the little things in life and could make something as insignificant as a rock, into the most dazzling jewel on earth. He understood her and he made her smile. All those hours they spent together meant the world to her because they made her forget about pain and about everything. Being with him was like being a child again and seeing the world for the first time. Everything was new, everything was gold.

She knew in that moment that she did like him and she was ready to take the next step. If he could take the leap then so could she. Smiling, Chelsea let go of the red wall of the diner which had been supporting her while her she was thinking.

"Ponyboy!" she called out, but her voice was drowned out by the music blaring above her.

**I think I found a flower in a field of weeds**

**I think I found a flower in a field of weeds**

**Searching until my hands bleed**

**This flower don't belong to me**

**This flower don't belong to me**

**Why can't she belong to me?**

In that moment, all she knew was that she had to find him. She had to tell him yes, that she did have feelings for him. That she wanted to be with him. Her heart pounded in her chest as she circled the building again, wishing that he would just appear.

She was back where she started, beneath the alcoves of the Dingo and the building beside it. The speaker still blaring music was above her.

Suddenly she felt someone grab her arm and spin her towards them. She was just about to scream out but then she realized who the person was.

"Pony! I-" she began excitedly but finished abruptly when his lips found her mouth.

She closed her eyes and met his pressure with her own, finding her fingers intertwining in his hair and his arms pulling her closer against his chest. She could feel his heartbeat against her own.

It felt… right, strangely. There were no fireworks but it felt, warm, and comfortable. Like home.

When they finally pulled apart she found herself staring into his twinkling green eyes.

"What were you going to say?" he laughed, leaning his forehead against hers.

She smiled playfully, "Nevermind," and she kissed him again.

* * *

**Surrender**

**All the pain we've endured until now**

**Surrender**

**All the hope that I lost, you have found**

**Surrender **

**Yourself to me**

* * *

**A/N: So what did you guys think? I know I basically dropped a bombshell on you guys but how do you feel? Confused, Surprised, Unimpressed, or Happy? I'm gonna guess a lot of you must be shocked and some of you may hate me but remember guys;****_ THE STORY ISN'T OVER YET!_**** Nope, not even close! I've still got a good few chapters to come and I'm assuming most of you know what happens next in the storyline of the original book/movie. So be prepared, next chapter is going to be a big one... duh duh dummm! Thank you all so much for the reviews and views of this story, I wouldn't be here without you wonderful readers! You guys are all amazing, please keep reading and reviewing because it honestly makes me so happy. I love this! :D Let me know your thoughts on this chapter please! Every review is appreciated and if you guys want me to reply to your review put a little RP at the end of it. THANK YOU ALL, you're all amazing! ;)**

**-Love, Melody 3**

* * *

Song Used: Surrender-Billy Talent

P.S: Yeah I know it's not within the time frame of music I promised but it works so well I had to do it! :p


	11. Changes and Transitions

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders, all rights belong to S. E Hinton as I only claim ownership of Chelsea and her family. **

**A/N: Sorry guys, I know this took longer than expected but please enjoy! :)**

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Chapter 11

"Get a room you two!" someone shouted nearby. Chelsea and Ponyboy turned around to see a cocky Two-Bit shaking his head at the scene of them intertwined together.

He chuckled, "Gee Pony, if you were that upset I interrupted your guys' make-out session ya should've said something!"

Chelsea blushed and pressed her forehead against Pony's chest while he rolled his eyes and smiled. He wrapped his arms tighter around her.

"How long has this been going on for?!" Two-Bit asked with a mischievous grin.

"Well we kinda just… umm." Pony trailed off, looking away awkwardly.

Chelsea turned around to face their friend while still keeping her hands in Pony's.

"Well when you interrupted us before, Pony was about to ask me out and I was going to say yes." She smirked coolly.

"You were?" Pony exclaimed, gazing at her with the largest smile on his face.

She gave him an incredulous look; which seemed to convey the message, "duh!"

"Of course she was you rascal, why else would she suck face with you?" Two-Bit said still grinning.

Ponyboy and Chelsea exchanged sheepish smiles.

"Man, I can't wait to tell the boys. I had a bet going with Steve. He owes me some money."

Chelsea frowned, "What was the bet exactly?"

"That loverboy over there would ask you out before Halloween."

"Well I was bound to do it sooner or later." Pony replied flustered.

"Man, I still can't believe Dally beat you to the punch." Two-Bit laughed.

A look of utter disbelief crossed Ponyboy's features; "Dally asked you out?"

Chelsea, who had turned a bright shade of scarlet, grimaced. "Yeah… about that. Um long story."

"Tell me."

Before Chelsea could open her mouth and speak Two-Bit began explaining everything for her.

He told Pony how Dally asked her out after they all went to the rodeo together and that Dally had taken Chelsea to see a movie at the drive-in: legally.

"Thank you Two-Bit," Chelsea said in mock sincerity while cocking her eyebrow at him. She had no idea how he knew all that.

"Is that all that happened?" Ponyboy asked, furrowing his brow worriedly.

"I-" She started, wanting to tell him about the kiss but Two-Bit's amused stare made her too uncomfortable to elaborate.

Ponyboy noticed this and pulled her away from Two-Bit until they were standing across the street from the Dingo. Well out of his earshot.

"We kissed when he dropped me off but both of us agreed it wasn't going to work and we agreed to just stay friends then he left to see you and Johnny in Windrixville." She explained; silently hoping Pony wouldn't be jealous of the date.

He looked at her for a moment then spoke; "So should I be jealous?"

"No" she replied, laughing at his worried expression and kissed him softly.

"Oh for the love of God!" Two-Bit shouted irritably from where they had abandoned him. He covered his eyes in fake disgust at the couple's PDA.

Once they pulled apart, Chelsea yelled back; "Stuff it Two-Bit!"

Ponyboy chuckled, "Yeah stuff it!"

They laughed and smiled as they looked into each other's eyes.

Chelsea continued to smile sweetly and Ponyboy took a part of her hair and began twisting it through his fingers.

"Chelsea," he began with a sheepish smile, "I'm not really good at this sort of dating thing but I'm gonna guess what follows this is that we go on an actual date?"

She giggled; "Generally yes,"

"Okay," he said grinning back, "where do you want to go?"

Pony now held her hands in his and swung their arms side to side.

Chelsea grinned at this and was about to respond when Two-Bit shouted.

"WOULD YOU TWO STOP GOOFING AROUND; WE'VE GOT COMPANY!"

She and Ponyboy turned to face where Two-Bit was standing in the parking lot of the Dingo and spotted a mustang full of Socs parked in front of him.

They exchanged anxious glances before sprinting towards their friend who was currently glaring at the group of Socs.

"Now what…" Chelsea thought.

"No jazz before the rumble, you know the rules ape-face." Two-Bit responded aloofly staring down the first Soc that had come into his midst.

Once Chelsea and Pony arrived, she stifled a gasp in realization that Randy was the Soc he was talking to.

"We know," he answered, rolling his eyes at Two-Bit's accusation.

Ponyboy and Chelsea exchanged confused glances. Both of them questioned why Randy was there and what he wanted from them.

Their question was answered once Randy made eye contact with Ponyboy and said; "I wanna talk to you."

Pony glanced at Chelsea to gauge her reaction but noted she only looked bewildered, not frightened so he relaxed before looking over at Two-Bit for permission to talk to the large Soc.

"Go ahead, I'll keep my eye on him." He responded glaring at Randy as he spoke.

Chelsea watched them walk away and crossed her arms over her chest, unsure of what Randy wanted.

"Nice pants, you guys getting ready for a flood or something?" Two-Bit chuckled at the expense of Randy's gang of Socs.

Another greaser near Two-Bit burst into hysterical laughter and Chelsea even found herself smiling. Those boys really did wear dumb-looking pants.

Her friend continued making wisecracks about the Socs until Ponyboy returned from his chat with Randy.

"He said he needs to talk to you," said Pony looking her over.

She bit her lip and nodded.

"Are you gonna be okay?"

She smiled. "Yeah, it'll be fine. I'm just wondering what he's up to."

Then she left him and walked over to where Randy was sitting in his car.

"What do you want Randy?" she asked sharply as she climbed into the car and slammed the passenger door shut.

He looked over at her and immediately Chelsea realized there was something off about him. The Randy she knew was carefree and didn't care about any repercussions. He'd jump greasers without any thought, get drunk, take advantage of his girlfriends, cheat, do drugs and loiter. He didn't have a worry in the world. He had a killer smile and the confidence to match. But the boy in front of her looked half-dead and nothing like the Randy she knew. Exhaustion clouded his features, making him look like the shell of the carefree boy he once was.

"I just wanted to say I'm sorry. About everything I did to you. It wasn't right for me to take advantage of you like that when we were dating. You deserved better than me. I know that now."

Her heart softened at the complete lack of malice he always had when he spoke to her. Randy truly had lost his spark.

"It's okay Randy." She mumbled, refusing to make eye contact, "I'm sorry about Bob. I mean; I'm not sorry about the fact that he almost killed two of my closest friends but he…" she trailed off exasperated.

Randy sighed, "I know. Bob's death was a wake up call for me. When that kid stabbed him I just, I started looking at my life and thinking 'am I gonna end up like him one day?' It was a big reality check, that's why I visited your dad the other day. I was hoping we could get rid of that stupid marriage proposal deal with an early divorce or something."

Her head snapped up when he said that and she peered at him from the corner of her eye, intrigued. "Really? Did it work?"

Randy rubbed his eyes, "No."

She slumped in her seat, defeated.

"That's why I'm getting out of here."

She gaped at Randy's comment in disbelief. Was he serious?

"I'm not competing in the rumble tonight Marlene. Fighting is useless now, there's no point. I just want to get out of here. That's why I'm taking as much as I can get from my parents and getting the hell away from Tulsa."

She blinked continually in astonishment.

"I need to start fresh, make my own future. After the hearing, you won't see my face in this town ever again."

Chelsea couldn't think of anything to say. Randy was leaving; the golden boy of Tulsa was leaving, and giving back her future freedom. She peeked out the car window at Ponyboy who was watching them inconspicuously. They had a possibility of a future together… That made her head spin.

"All I can say is that I really hope you find what you're looking for Randy. And I'm sorry everything turned out this way for you." She replied solemnly; and she meant it. Losing your best friend sucked; it was one of the worst feelings in the world. And despite her hatred of him before, she wished he would get his old fire back instead of looking as if he was carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

He semi-smiled at her and extended his arm to shake her hand politely.

"It's been nice knowing you Marlene."

She shook his hand and smiled.

"You too Randy, good luck with everything."

She turned to leave the vehicle but Randy put a hand on her shoulder and stopped her. " I was supposed to tell you; your dad told my dad that he's coming home early from his business trip so if I were you I'd get going."

The color drained from her features; her dad wasn't supposed to be home for three more days. What the hell happened?!Her mind raced as she thanked Randy and left the car to join Two-Bit and Pony.

When she joined them she could feel Pony and Two-Bit staring her down. A loud honk sounded behind them and Randy's lackies rejoined him at the car.

"What did he want?" Two-Bit asked curiously as he watched the Socs leave.

She sighed and leant against the pillar of the Dingo.

"He said he's leaving town, and that he's sorry. And that my dad is coming home early from his business trip."

"Do you want to head home?" Pony asked, taking her hand in his.

She smiled weakly, "Yeah, I kinda wanna clear up before he gets home. You mind walking me home?"

"Nah we don't mind, do we Pony?" Two-Bit answered.

Pony and Chelsea exchanged amused expressions as they waited for Two-Bit to catch on.

"Oh, y'all wanna be alone. Okay, I can take a hint." He retorted smirking.

Chelsea rolled her eyes, "Two-Bit you wouldn't get a hint if it hit you over the head with a shovel."

Ponyboy laughed and she smiled brighter feeling a bit better.

"Yeah, yeah laugh it up lovebirds. Wait till I tell the rest of the gang about you two." He muttered, jamming his fists into his jacket pockets.

Ponyboy shook his head, "Oh no you don't, I ain't having you and the rest of the gang making fun of me while I take Chelsea home. We're going to be the ones to tell them."

She nodded enthusiastically, "After the rumble?"

"Sure," he shrugged, nonchalantly.

"Fine, but don't forget!" He left and began heading towards the bus stop but froze in his tracks to face them.

"And don't do anything stupid!" he added.

"You either! If you get yourself put in the hospital from fighting tonight, I'll kick your ass!" Chelsea yelled back.

Two-Bit just shook his head and smirked, "See ya later!"

"Be careful!" she called.

Two-Bit was crazy but she was hoping he'd stay out of danger.

Ponyboy smirked, "Now that he's gone, what do you want to do?"

She smiled and leant in close until their lips were almost touching. "I want," she whispered softly. She watched as Pony leant in closer too, closing his eyes in anticipation.

"You to catch me!" she exclaimed suddenly and bolted from Ponyboy in the direction of her house.

She heard Pony curse behind her and giggled as she sped up in order to beat him.

They had taken track together last year but neither of them had spoken to each other then because Chelsea was too shy to say anything and Pony had joined track with one of his friends. Therefore, they were both fast runners.

Just when she thought she had outrun him, he appeared out of nowhere and tackled her into a hug from behind.

"I caught you!" he shouted. "What do I get?"

Chelsea spun around to face him and his hold on her broke.

"A kiss!" she answered with a big smile.

He closed his eyes to prepare for her kiss but looked up when he felt her put something in his hand. She had taken a Hershey's kiss from her purse and given it to him.

He stared at her. "Now you're just being silly."

She shrugged and he sighed putting the kiss into his pocket. Before he stepped away from her, she planted a kiss on his cheek.

He smiled and held her hand while they walked together through backfields; which was a shortcut to Chelsea's house.

* * *

At one point they encountered a small stream and Pony led her over to it.

"What are we doing?" she asked curiously.

He grinned, "See if you can hop across using only the stones as stepping stones."

She rolled her eyes but did it anyways, making it across the stream without falling once.

"Careful! It's hot lava, if you fall you'll die." she said to Pony as he tried to cross the stream.

He made it across easily but once he hit the shore beside Chelsea she grinned mischievously.

"What are you going to do?" he asked, recognizing the dangerous gleam in her eyes.

She laughed and then turned to the stream and splashed a large handful of water at Pony's head.

"What'd you do that for?" he exclaimed wiping the cool water off of his face.

She began fluffing his hair with her hands. "I like your hair without all the grease in it."

"But I like the grease." He protested taking her wrists in his hands and making her let go of his blonde waves and she stopped.

"Sorry," she said sheepishly, crossing one arm over her chest.

She looked away hoping she hadn't made him upset when she felt a splash of water hit her arm.

"Hey!" she exclaimed; turning to see Ponyboy had splashed her back.

Chelsea laughed and splashed him again.

"Oh it's on!" He said in a determined voice.

Chelsea shrieked in fake panic as he sent a tidal wave of water her way.

She splashed him back and they continued chasing each other around the stream until they were both wearing damp clothes and out of breath.

Chelsea-who has fallen into the stream, sat up and reached out for a hand.

Pony helped her up but she tripped over a rock on the shore and landed with her arms around him tightly. She looked up from his chest and blushed.

He shook his head at her adorable grin but pulled her close. "I missed you so much."

"Me too." She assured him, hugging back tighter.

"Does this feel, awkward for you? Us dating now? I mean just this morning, we were talking about different types of eggs and now. Well, look at us." He asked, looking deep into her hazel eyes.

She shrugged, "Not really, I mean; I still haven't wrapped my head around this yet but I will."

"Should we take things a little slower? I don't want to rush you into this." He asked concerned.

She smiled, "No, it's okay. I think we're fine for now."

He smiled at her reassured, and they continued their trek to her house.

* * *

When they finally arrived, Chelsea stood in front of the gate and looked into her friend's eyes.

"You better be careful tonight, if anything happens I-" she winced at the idea.

"I'll be fine, and everyone else will too. You better be there tonight, or I'll hunt you down and drag you there myself." He joked, making her more comfortable.

She grinned, "Okay. Tell Soda, Darry, Steve, Two-Bit and Dally that I love them and for them to be careful."

"But Dally isn't fighting tonight, Chelsea." Ponyboy said in a puzzled voice.

"I still think he's planning on being there tonight. But anyways, you stay away from danger. Got it?"

He smirked trying to play tough, "But danger's my middle name."

"Ponyboy MICHAEL Curtis I swear to God…"

"Okay, okay. You be careful too, it's dangerous walking those streets at night. Watch yourself."

She gave him a big hug and she planted a quick kiss on his lips before waving to him as he walked back in the direction of his house.

* * *

She finally got into the house and closed the door behind her relieved for the fact her father wasn't home yet. She would have enough time to clean up the mess from the party she'd thrown the night before.

While she cleared up the mess, she thought about Ponyboy. She really did like him, but she still felt a nagging sensation about her feelings for him.

Did she like him? Yes. Did she enjoy spending time with him? Obviously. Did she like kissing him? Yes. But did she possibly have feelings for Soda?

Maybe, she sighed as she swept the broken glass off of her patio.

Her mind was working on overdrive and she couldn't focus on the tasks she was doing. So she tried to distract herself; she blared music and tried not to think.

* * *

Once everything was cleared up, Chelsea jumped into the shower to get ready for the rumble. While she shampooed her hair she was still plagued with thoughts of Ponyboy and Sodapop. Ponyboy was sweet, he was her best friend and so far-things between them were going great. But maybe he was right; maybe things were going too fast between them. Or maybe he was wrong and things weren't going fast enough? They had been friends for months after all and who knows how long she'd been having romantic thoughts about him?

She got out of the shower and dried herself off. Her mind whirled thinking about how much time they spent together, and then she smiled. She did have feelings for Pony, what was she doing overthinking everything? This was the boy who'd been there for her since the day of her mother's funeral. The one who proved to her that she wasn't crazy-that there were other people just like her who shared her likes, beliefs and hobbies. That made her happy and less alone.

The girl changed into her grey long-sleeve shirt with metal shoulder pieces overtop of her blue skinny jeans and black lace boots. She smiled and pulled her wavy dark brown hair into a bun and put on make-up; thoughts of her new, 'boyfriend' filling her head. But she didn't really know whether boyfriend was the right word. He was her date, she guessed. So she decided to call him that; her date. Her Ponyboy…

Grinning at her reflection in the mirror she felt happy. She let out an excited giggle and returned to doing her make-up.

Suddenly, there was a loud noise coming from downstairs. Chelsea's smile faltered and she sprinted to the top of her stairs to investigate the source of the racket.

* * *

**A/N: So what do you guys think? I know it was mostly fluff in this chapter but trust me, I've written the next one and it's gonna get much more intense... Thank you guys so much for sticking with me-it really means a lot. Honestly, every review gives me the motivation to keep going. You're all the best, I hope you know that! Anyways, before I get all mushy; let me know what you think? Who's downstairs? Who do you want Chelsea to end up with? Any criticisms?-if so please be nice-I am a bit sensitive. :) Please keep up with the reviews and know you're all amazing people for making my day. Also, let me know if you have any ideas! :D Have a wonderful day!**

**-Love, Melody**

* * *

**P.S: I honestly finished half of the next chapter so expect it up by friday the latest. ;)**


	12. After-Shock

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders, all rights belong to S.E Hinton and Chelsea and her family belong to me. **

* * *

Chapter 12

Chelsea sighed in relief to see her father stumbling through the front door.

There was the sound of a door slamming and then she heard "Marlene?" his voice sounded as if it was coming from the dining room.

"Coming dad!" Chelsea shouted back, racing down the winding staircase. She noted that his voice sounded steady meaning he was sober; at least for the moment.

The smile or relief escaped her face when she found him, looking lost, sitting at the kitchen table with a newly opened bottle of whiskey in his hand, a case on the table.

"Hi Dad, how was your trip?" she asked politely, hoping he wouldn't start drinking again.

Her father looked up and smiled at her; "You look beautiful, just like your mother."

She blushed and thanked him; it was extremely rare for her to receive compliments like that from her father.

"The trip went well except for a call from Randy's parents that brought me back here early." He said sternly, chugging half the bottle of whiskey down while Chelsea watched sadly.

The young girl sank down into her seat across the table from him; anticipating his eventual explosion.

"Do you know why Randy's parents called me?" he asked after he'd finished his long sip.

She shook her head.

"They called me because, Randy suddenly decided that he doesn't want to be part of this business deal anymore. I should have known, considering the fact that he was bargaining for an early divorce with you the other day."

Once he finished, he took another enormous sip of whiskey.

"Dad I-" Chelsea started, hoping she could get him to calm down before the alcohol got to his head.

He put his hand up, cutting her off. "Now I know it's not your fault. You were so willing to cooperate with this marriage provided I got you that horse when you were twelve. But time has changed you"

Chelsea snorted in indignation. That 'horse' was her birthday present and it was unrightfully hers! It belonged to Sodapop and it didn't deserve to be used in some stupid arranged marriage plot to help his company. Besides, she was just a kid and thought that having to marry Randy was some joke.

"I was twelve." She snarled through clenched teeth, "I'm sixteen now, of course things change. You can't expect me to have consciously agreed to this, knowing the consequences."

Her father just smiled blankly at her, "You've grown up so fast. I remember when you were so little your head could barely reach my knee."

Chelsea looked down at the patterned tablecloth, feeling unsure of what to do or say now.

She heard her father's booming laugh and lifted her head; "Oh the memories, but now you've grown into a young lady and a pretty one too. Soon enough, you'll have a new boyfriend."

That caught her attention. Chelsea rose her eyes to meet her fathers'. They were dark: void of all emotion. He had hazel-green eyes, like she did. But his eyes were darker and looked more muddy brown than green.

"Or do you already have one?" he finished, still staring at her.

She looked away, unable to meet his steely gaze.

He laughed, "I knew it! You little slut, I knew you were sneaking out of the house to meet someone. What's his name?"

Chelsea refused to speak; knowing full well that if she did, she would be screwed.

"You don't wanna tell me?" her father's voice rose accusingly, and Chelsea shrunk meekly in her seat. Out of the corner of her eye she realized that her father had downed 4 whiskey bottles in the amount of time they had been talking.

"What is his name Marlene?" he growled, standing up from his seat.

He walked closer to her until they were face to face. Chelsea tried her best not to move or breathe; knowing a slight movement would send her father into a blind rage. He was like a wild animal, waiting for the right moment to attack his prey.

"Is he at least a rich, respectable boy?" He demanded, still staring her down.

Chelsea still did not speak or move.

Her father raised his voice; "Or is he some good for nothing greaser with a criminal record?"

Silence.

"You stay away from those greasers Marlene. I will not have my daughter knocked up by some slimey-haired, filthy, pathetic criminal who ruined the business deal of a lifetime!"

Now she understood. Her father thought the reason Randy didn't want to be part of the agreement was because she was dating someone else. Someone who he believed wasn't 'good enough' for her. That ignited fire in Chelsea and she snapped.

"You're wrong!" she exclaimed and in response, her father smacked her hard across the face.

"So it is one of those low-lifes! Which one? Tim Shephard? Dallas Winston-he's the most rotten of them all. Is it St-"

By that point Chelsea had collected herself and walked out of the house. She slammed the back door behind her and tried to block out her father's voice as he came down on her.

"DON'T YOU DARE WALK AWAY FROM ME WHILE I'M TALKING TO YOU, YOUNG LADY!"

He burst through the slamming door and followed her out to the patio.

"Leave me alone!" she pleaded, after he'd caught up and jerked her back to face him.

"But you're my daughter! I can't just leave you alone to be raped by some street-trash with nothing better to do." He snarled sarcastically, punching her hard in the ribs.

She doubled over in pain and he struck her face. She howled and collapsed on the ground. Her father kicked her in the stomach repeatedly while she bent her body into a protective position so her major organs, heart and head would be blocked from his forceful strikes.

When he grew tired of hitting her, he picked up her weakened body and pulled it close to his face. He whispered menacingly in her ear:

"If I ever see you with any of those 'greaser' boys, I'll kill them and you and I'll make it look like an accident."

He dropped her to the ground then walked inside the house as if nothing had happened.

Chelsea tried to hold herself together and cried. She cried until the sun began to set in the distance and her father opened the back door to announce that he was going to meet some friends at the country club and not to wait up for him.

That was the moment when Chelsea told herself that she couldn't live in this goddamned house anymore. She'd had enough with her father's physical and psychological abuse. She picked herself up from the patio stones and used water from the nearby swimming pool to wash her blood from the tiles.

With a newfound strength, she forced herself to stand up and limp inside the house up to her bedroom where her first aid kit was. She noted there was a large gash beneath her right eye and her left one was going to be black. There were also large splotches of bruises already forming over the older ones on her arms, chest and legs.

She bit her lip worriedly; the bruises she could cover with clothing but the gash beneath her eye was a pretty deep cut.

Grabbing her make-up box, she pulled out foundation, and cover-up to create a mix that would cover her black eye and she grabbed an ice pack from the kitchen to make the swelling go down. As for the cut, she cleaned it up as best she could but decided that if anyone asked; she tripped while she was cleaning broken glass managing to accidentally cut herself.

She smiled convincingly and said it aloud; pretending someone had asked her about her face.

Her heart lurched when she saw her eyes in her reflection. They were not the greenish color she liked but a darker shade; the color they would turn when she was extremely depressed. The days following her mother's death, her eyes had remained this color until the day after she met all the boys. Now they would turn this color when she was tired; and she was. Tired of the abuse, and tired of being terrified one of the last living family members she had.

She knew what she had to do. Seating herself on her bed, she grabbed the white rotary phone on her bedside table and called the number she had called many times before.

"Yeah?"

"Hi," she said in the most calm and stable voice she could manage, "Can I talk to Darry?"

Steve who had answered the phone, replied, "Sure but what's wrong? You sound upset."

She smiled, "I'm fine Steve, I just need to talk to Darry; it's really important."

Steve wasn't convinced but nevertheless, he called Darry to get the phone.

Chelsea made out talking in the background;

_"Darry! Chelsea's on the phone for ya." Steve hollered._

_"Chelsea? What's up with her?" Ponyboy's voice asked._

_A voice that was unmistakably Soda's spoke next; "Do you want me to talk to her?"_

Finally she heard Darry come on the line.

"Hey Chelsea, this is Darry."

She inhaled sharply, attempting to steady her voice before speaking.

"Hey, umm I have to ask you a huge favor. Would it be alright if I stayed at your place? I just… I can't stay at home anymore. I'm sorry; I don't mean to be a burden but I… I wouldn't ask unless it was important."

She felt guilty. Chelsea hated imposing on people and she knew Darry already had a lot on his hands but he was the only one who could help her.

Before he responded, Chelsea added hastily; "It would only be for a couple of days I-"

"You can stay here for as long as you want. I can't believe you don't already know that. As long as you make those delicious chocolate cakes, we'd love to have you." Darry replied warmly.

She felt herself relax and sighed in relief.

"Thank you, you have no idea how much that means to me." She gushed to her friend.

"No problem. But are you okay? You don't sound too good."

"I'm fine." She insisted as a tear ran down her cheek. "Good luck at the rumble, be careful and I'll be there when y'all get back."

"Okay," Darry agreed. "Goodbye."

"Bye, and thanks!" she squeaked before hanging up the phone.

She packed up all her things into a large duffel bag; her clothes, trinkets that were close to her heart, some cash, her first aid kit, toiletries, and some photographs of her family from before.

Chelsea walked out the front door and didn't stop walking until she had passed the gate.

The brunette looked back at her house. The grey brick building that had once been so full of life and love. Where she was always welcome; where she'd come home every day to her mother's open embrace and kind words.

Now it was nothing but an empty reminder of the life she'd once enjoyed. She hated that house because now every time she looked at it, she heard her father's drunken cursing. She felt every bruise and cut her father had ever given her. She saw her mother's tear-stained face gazing upon her with guilt and pity in her brown eyes. The smell of whiskey and tears ever prominent in that house still lingered in the air.

Shaking her head Chelsea ran away from home.

Nothing in that house had anything of any value to her. The only thing she left for her father was a note to put him off her trail.

_Dear Dad,_

_I can't do this anymore. If that makes me pathetic and weak then that's what I am. I've run away to Texas with my boyfriend and I'm never coming back. If you set the police on me, I'll tell them everything. I'm not afraid._

_With love, your daughter;_

_Marlene_

Chelsea walked the long and winding road to the Curtis house. The entire way there her heart hammered in her chest.

What the hell was she doing? She had no idea what she was going to do or where she was going to stay! Living on the street would be her only option until she could actually manage to get a job and support herself.

The young girl popped open her purse. She had a checkbook and credit cards full of money but if she used any of them, her father would know where she was in an instant. Fortunately, there was enough cash to last a while but the main thing needed was someplace for her to stay.

* * *

When she arrived at the Curtis home, it was empty meaning the boys had already left for the rumble. Chelsea loved those boys more than anything, and although she had been reassured multiple times by all of them that everything would be fine, her beliefs were elsewhere. She couldn't shake the feeling that something terrible was about to happen…

She tried to distract herself and turned on the television to find that her favorite show; "I Love Lucy" was showing re-runs. Happily few episodes were enjoyed until a clap of thunder rendered her out of her blissfulness and sent her into state of panic.

"They should have been back already," she mumbled to herself as she turned the television off and got up to look out the door.

The faint sound of yelling and cursing was audible in the distance meaning the rumble was still going on.

Chelsea came back inside, paced back and forth, then, remembering her promise to Ponyboy, walked into the kitchen to whip up a chocolate cake for the boys.

With her hands busy she felt a bit calmer, and time passed faster. Soon enough, by the time the cake was pulled out of the oven, happy shouting emanating from the distance could be heard.

Chelsea stepped out of the kitchen in effort to see what was causing the commotion when the front door flew open to reveal a tired but ecstatic Sodapop.

"We did Chels!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms in the air, "We beat those Socs!"

"YAY!" She laughed, jumping for joy. Soda's enthusiasm was very contagious.

Grinning, he stepped forward and enveloped the girl in a tight embrace.

She continued to giggle happily as he spun her around the room excitedly.

When he set her down they still smiled at each other gleefully. The Greasers had won! The underdogs finally won something they deserved for putting up with so much abuse. The boys had won it not only for themselves, but, as Dally would put it, for Johnny.

"WE STOMPED THOSE MOTHERFUCKERS INTO THE GROUND!" A loud voice echoed from the front of the house that could only belong to Steve.

He, Two-Bit and Darry burst through the door laughing, screaming and cheering, before heading towards Chelsea and Soda.

Oddly enough though, the second the front door opened, Soda jumped almost a foot away, harboring a guilty expression as if he was a child about to be caught with his hand in the cookie jar. Chelsea found this peculiar, had they really been standing that close to each other?

"Mickey! We won! We won!" Two-Bit repeated as he sprinted for the brunette.

Steve followed him in a chorus of "We did it! We did it!" as they both took one of Chelsea's hands and spun around while jumping up and down like little schoolgirls.

Even Darry was deliriously happy, as he started to join in with the laughter and excitement.

The only thing Chelsea could do in reply to their antics was to shake her head and respond; "I love you guys," before gathering them all in a group hug.

Once everyone broke apart, Chelsea realized something.

"Where's Ponyboy?" she asked in a troubled voice. She knew he had to be alright, considering the fact that if he wasn't Darry and Soda would be freaking out.

All of the boys exchanged confused glances and "I thought he was with you!" was bounced around the room.

"He probably went off somewhere with Dally." Two-Bit reassured them and Chelsea smirked.

_I knew Dallas would show_ she thought to herself proudly.

"CHOCOLATE CAKE!" Steve shouted as he stepped into the kitchen.

Like moths to a flame, the boys flocked to the cake, ripping it apart until only three pieces were left.

"Gee I wonder if y'all are hungry…" Chelsea said sarcastically, shaking her head and smiling at their eagerness to devour the dessert.

"Ow." Darry commented, rubbing his jaw after he'd taken a bite of the cake.

At that moment, Chelsea began to notice how beaten up the boys were. Steve had bruises all over his body, which was displayed by his busted-open shirt. Darry had a black eye as well as a gash above his left eye. Two-Bit's left cheek was extremely bloody as well as his right hand and Soda had a bruise on his cheek as well as a cut on his lips.

Her green eyes widened; "You guys really need a doctor." She ran over to the sink where she knew Darry kept the first aid kit and returned.

"Who wants to go first?" she asked in an overly cheerful voice.

All of them groaned and the girl smiled.

"I promise it won't hurt! I'll be very gentle."

Darry sighed, "Alright, I guess I'll be the first."

Nodding, Chelsea plopped down on the arm of the chair he was sitting in.

She started by cleaning the small gash on his forehead with water and cleansing soap-she used just the right amount of water to prevent any stinging from the cleanser and finished up by placing a Band-Aid over his cut. She grabbed ice packs for all the boys and distributed them.

As she began cleaning out the cuts and bruises on Steve's torso, she frowned.

"How the hell do you guys put yourselves through this? I mean doesn't it hurt when someone hits you?" she asked breaking the silence.

Two-Bit smirked, "Nah, it's an adrenaline rush."

"What?" Chelsea asked, taping up Steve's sides while he lay on the couch.

"That feeling you get when you're at the top of roller coaster." Sodapop explained, "you feel the blood pumpin' through your body and you feel like you can do anything! It keeps you from feeling the pain until a bit later."

The rest of the boys murmured in agreement and clutched their ice packs against their multiple bruises.

Chelsea gave them a half-hearted smile then sat beside Two-Bit on the floor and gingerly moved his hand away from the bloody cheek he was clutching.

"So what went down?" the brunette asked as she dabbed a cloth in cleanser to clear up her friend's cheek.

The boys launched into the tale excitedly about how Darry had to start the rumble with Paul, his best friend from high school, then they told her how Dallas ran into the fight and each boy went into detail about how they clobbered their own opponents.

Steve and Soda got up and acted out a scene in which a Soc had Steve on the ground and was repeatedly kicking his side until Soda tackled the Soc off, giving his buddy the advantage.

"Then they all ran with their tail between their legs to their mommas!" Two-Bit laughed. "All of 'em!"

Chelsea smiled at their excitement. It was adorable how into the rumble all of them were; they were like little kids who had just gotten a new toy.

"Wow, where did you learn to do that?" Soda asked as he and the rest of the boys watched closely as she stitched up Two-Bit's face and knuckles he'd bust open punching a Soc.

"My mom." She said smiling proudly at the boys' disbelief.

"She used to be a nurse then she quit her job when she married my dad. The knowledge stuck though, and she passed some of it down to me."

Steve scratched his head, "How did she teach you this stuff?"

Chelsea blushed and hurriedly fixed up Two-Bit's bandages as she tried to come up with a better explanation than; because she always had to fix me up after my dad would beat me.

She finished Two-Bit and went on to sit on the floor beside Soda so she could clean his busted lip.

She smiled, "I was very umm… accident prone as a kid. I still am actually, so since my mom constantly had to bandage me up, I learned some things."

"How did you get that cut?" Soda asked, gently pressing his thumb to the gash beneath her eye.

Chelsea grimaced, "When I was cleaning up after the party, I tripped and fell onto a broken beer bottle and some one of the shards cut me there."

Two-Bit shook his head, "Talk about accident prone. Shoot kid, one day you're gonna die falling down the stairs or something."

Chelsea stopped what she was doing and turned to face him. "Thanks Two-Bit, your concern for me is overwhelming." She said, her voice dripping in sarcasm.

The boy laughed and ruffled her wavy brown hair before getting up from his chair and going into the kitchen to hunt for a drink.

"Ouch!" Soda winced as Chelsea dabbed his lip with the cleanser.

"You promised it wouldn't hurt." He whined, crossing his arms and pouting.

"If you could sit still it wouldn't hurt as much." Chelsea replied in a sing-song voice. Soda could not remain still for a single moment; he was constantly fidgeting or moving his head around.

He grinned at her. "Sorry, I'm always like this."

In return she smiled, "Yeah I've noticed, you really have a lot of energy don't you?"

The boy shrugged as she finished with his lips and proceeded to re-place the icepack on his bruised cheek.

"Cold!" he remarked, cringing upon impact.

Chelsea chuckled, "Oh stop being a baby, it'll help the swelling go down. Keep it on as long as possible-doctor's orders."

He sighed melodramatically, "Yes ma'am." Before giving her a salute.

She rolled her eyes and continued to smile at the silly boy who was still grinning wildly at her.

Chelsea got to her feet slowly and Soda followed. Once they were both standing, Soda put his hand on her forearm and spoke.

"Listen Chels, about what I was gonna say this morning, I-"

The front door slammed open and a deathly-ill looking Ponyboy walked in.

"Pony," Chelsea gasped. His face was covered in bruises and scars, his clothing was ripped and he looked as if he'd seen a ghost. Her heart ached seeing him this way, she stepped forward to comfort him but to her surprise he moved away from her and continued to retreat to the corner of the house like a frightened animal.

"Pony, where were you?" asked Darry in a concerned voice, as he stood from the chair.

Pony's fearful green eyes locked on Darry's and he began to cry. "Johnny! He's dead."

Immediately the atmosphere in the room became bleaker. Everyone reacted in their own way to the tragic news. Two-Bit's face fell, he closed his eyes and clenched his teeth-probably trying to fight back tears. Steve got up from where he'd been lying on the couch and hobbled towards Soda, a look of confusion and disbelief etched on his features; it was clear that he still hadn't wrapped his head around what was happening.

Darry just looked defeated, as if he'd known this was going to happen all along but he was powerless to stop it. Soda made a strangled sobbing noise as he struggled to stay strong. Steve came behind him and held his arm to steady them both.

Chelsea, however, reacted differently.

"No. No, no, no, no no." she whispered, shaking her head and covering her ears.

_That's impossible,_ she thought _I paid for Johnny's surgery, that doctor told me Johnny would make it! What the fuck is going on?_

She sank into a chair, still shaking her head in denial at Pony's words.

Ponyboy stared at her and the rest of the gang sadly. He tried to stable his voice when he spoke;

"I told him about beating the Socs and… I dunno he just died. He told me to stay gold."

The poor boy began to shake violently and Chelsea felt herself wanting to get up to comfort her best friend but her legs wouldn't let her move.

Pony jerked his head up to look everyone in the eyes again; his face was wild with emotion. "Dally, he-he couldn't take it. He's gonna blow!"

Two-Bit shook his head remorsefully, "He finally broke; even Dallas has a breaking point."

Everyone silently agreed with his words and Chelsea sighed.

"Johnny was the only person Dally truly loved and cared about. Without him, Dallas is nothing."

The gang exchanged glances and Darry walked over to Soda to whisper something into his ear. Soda nodded and stepped forward cautiously towards Ponyboy as if he was approaching a wild animal.

"Ponyboy," he said softly, "you look sick, sit down."

The blonde haired boy shook his head emphatically; "I'm okay, I don't want to sit down."

Darry took a step towards him and Pony jumped. "Don't touch me!"

Two-Bit looked imploringly at Chelsea as if to say; "help him! He's your boyfriend."

She stood up slowly, her head still spinning, and made her way to Ponyboy who was still shaking.

"Ponyboy," she murmured as gently as she could, "it's alright. We're not going to hurt you, we're just worried about you hon."

His eyes gazed into hers and he stopped shaking. She smiled at him and took his hand.

Meanwhile, Two-Bit had made everyone back away so Ponyboy could have some room to breathe while Chelsea tried to calm him down.

"It's just us," she added softly, rubbing the back of his hand with her thumb.

"I need you to take a deep breath and relax, okay?"

He nodded and she slowly started guiding him to the couch so he could sit down but the phone rang causing everyone to jump. Including Ponyboy who let go of Chelsea's hand and jerked away from everyone.

Steve, the closest to the phone, picked it up. "Yeah?"

There was silence in the room as everyone held their breaths.

"No it's Steve, Dally?"

"Yeah sure," he turned to Darry and held out the receiver. "It's Dally, he wants to talk to you."

Darry took a moment to collect himself before rushing over to pick up the phone.

"Hello?" he asked, remaining as calm as he could.

"Yeah," he said after a while, looking worried.

"Sure Dal, are you alright?"

Chelsea looked at Ponyboy who was breathing heavily. She knew he was probably sick and soothingly placed her hand on his forehead to check his temperature. Two-Bit, Steve and Soda began talking quietly, exchanging concerned glances.

"We know," Darry uttered into the phone, his eyes locking with Pony's.

"Hang on, we'll be right there." Darry said quickly, hanging up the phone.

He turned to address all of them. "That was Dally. The cops are after him, we gotta hide him!"

Everyone left the house in a dead run, even Chelsea and Ponyboy.

"Where is he?" Chelsea shouted over the sound of sneakers pounding against asphalt.

Darry yelled back, "He's gonna meet us at the lot."

She looked down; the place where they'd had that bonfire when Cherry showed up offering to be their spy. Chelsea remembered Dally's smart-ass comments, his attempt to ask Cherry out and his response after she told him to go to hell.

_"I think she likes me. What do you think?" he asked playfully, raising his eyebrows and smirking._

_The brunette rolled her eyes. "Sure Dally, whatever gets you through the day."_

Chelsea cleared her head of those memories; she had to make sure they got to Dally before he did something stupid like…

She sped up, not wanting to even think about it.

* * *

They finally reached the lot and the high-pitched sound of sirens filled the air.

Suddenly, Dallas appeared, sprinting like a madman from the opposite direction. When he reached the streetlights he stopped; policemen got out of their cars, armed with guns, shouting for Dally to put his hands up.

Dallas being Dallas did nothing of the sort. He instead pulled out a gun from his waistband and aimed it at the cops.

"IT'S NOT LOADED!" Chelsea heard someone exclaim just before the shooting began.

"Don't shoot!" Steve shouted loudly.

"NO! HE'S JUST A KID" Two-Bit pleaded.

The impact of the bullets sent Dallas's body crumpling to the ground beneath the street light, silencing the gang's pleading for the boy's life.

Dallas Winston lay on the ground in the middle of the road with a grim look of satisfaction on his features. The gun in his right hand: empty.

There was a high-pitched screaming noise that Chelsea could hear but couldn't tell where it was coming from, until Soda pulled her against his side, muffling the sound. She realized she was the one who was screaming bloody murder.

"No not him and Johnny both, not him. No, this can't be happening." She repeated to herself.

On her left, she watched Darry freak out calling the cops "Stupid idiots,"

Then, without warning, Ponyboy fell to the ground at her feet.

"Pony?" she whispered, dropping to her knees to tend to her sick friend.

Darry got down on his knees beside her and began shaking his younger brother. "Pony? PONYBOY?!"

* * *

**!PLEASE READ BELOW!**

**A/N: Hey guys! I'm so sorry for the lateness of this chapter, honestly I had a bit of writer's block about this chapter and how I wanted it to go after that but I think I figured things out and hopefully I'll be updating regularly. Thank you everyone for sticking with me and taking an interest to this story it means a lot so thank you! Also, what are you guys thinking so far? Loving it? Hating it? Also, I may be deviating from the book when it comes to some things. So I'm hoping you'll be okay with these changes-if not let me know. What are these changes? You'll have to see...**

** Also, yes the gang is going to find out about Chelsea being abused by her dad and they're gonna come up with a plan and everything. Also, Ponyboy and another greaser may be butting heads over a certain brunette sometime in the future... As for now, Chelsea is living with the Curtis's until something 'else' happens... So thank you guys so much for reading these, I can't tell you how much I appreciate it-you guys are all amazing! Chocolate cake all around! :D**

**Review please! This time I'm completely serious when I mean that I'll update faster if I get more reviews. I mean it, if I get at least ten I'll update the second I see it. Please leave some feedback, I LOVE FEEDBACK! It really helps me think. Thank you! I love you guys!**

**-Love, Melody**

* * *

P.S: Yeah I know the chances of Darry having the medical supplies for Chelsea to make stitches for Two-Bit is highly unlikely but let's just say he does.


	13. Wake Up Call

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders, all rights belong to S.E Hinton. I only claim rights to Chelsea and her family.**

* * *

Chapter 13

The next few hours were a blur. An ambulance was called to transport Ponyboy, Dallas and the rest of the gang to the hospital. Both Pony and Dally were sent to the ER while Two-Bit, Steve, Sodapop, Darry and Chelsea were escorted to the waiting room where they stayed huddled together, until someone would come give them news on their friends.

Other people in the waiting room shot them dirty looks and shifted themselves so they would be as far away from the 'hoodlums' as possible. None of them cared about what was going on.

However, the gang didn't take to waiting very well...

Two-Bit flipped his switchblade open and closed it repeatedly. He'd gotten it back when the doctors loaded Dally into the ambulance and ditched the leather jacket he always wore. It was stained with blood but Two-Bit kept it anyways, saying Dally would want it.

Seated beside Two-Bit was Steve who looked as bewildered and feverish as ever. His injuries were at the back of his mind as he leant onto Soda's shoulder, sobbing wordlessly. Sodapop had his hands in his lap and was staring straight ahead, completely focused on nothing. Chelsea sat beside him, her bun had come lose and her hair was in a messy side-ponytail that she hadn't bothered to fix. Her hands and sweater were covered in blood from tending to the boys's injuries earlier and from trying to stem the flow of blood from Dally's wounds.

She hadn't cried when Dally went down, or even Ponyboy or when they'd found out about Johnny before that. She didn't believe that they could be dead; she didn't want to believe it, and the denial kept her numb from the emotional pain that threatened to swallow her whole.

Darry, who was next to her, had his head in his hands and didn't look up until the nurse came in with news.

* * *

"Ponyboy Curtis is currently being treated. He has a minor concussion and a high fever. He's currently comatose and only time will tell if he'll make a full recovery." The redheaded nurse said gravely.

"What about Dally?" Asked Two-Bit, speaking for the first time in ages.

The nurse frowned in confusion.

"Dallas Winston, what is the condition of Dallas Winston." Asked Darry, still remaining as calm as he could.

The woman's mouth formed a small 'o' of recognition before flipping through the papers of her clipboard.

"Winston, Dallas. There was not much we could do. He's being sent to a hospital with better medical care to deal with his bullet wounds."

Soda looked up and inquired softly "Does that mean he's alive?"

The nurse shrugged and left the waiting area without another word.

"He's dead, Soda. They make up fancy bullshit like that so we think there's a chance they'll help us." Steve said somberly.

Two-Bit hung his head and began to shake with sobs. "It's all my fault! My fault Pony's sick and Dally's dead."

Soda rubbed his teary eyes before placing a comforting hand on Two-Bit's back. "It's not your fault buddy."

The boy shook his head. "No it is! I leant Dallas the knife, that helped him get out of the hospital for the rumble and Pony told me he wasn't feeling well after he dropped off Chelsea at her house. He promised he'd take medication when he got home as long as I didn't tell anyone! I'm so sorry Darry, I thought he just had a little headache or something."

Darry sighed, "It's alright Two-Bit, you couldn't have known everything that was gonna happen. Besides, the nurse said he got a concussion. Probably from the Soc kicking him in the head."

Chelsea drifted back into the conversation and rounded on Darry, "Ponyboy got kicked in the head?"

Sodapop let out a low growling noise and Darry patted his shoulder. "Yeah, you should've seen Soda. He nearly ripped that guy to pieces."

Wearily, the girl shook her head and suddenly felt a headache coming from everyone speaking so loudly.

"I'm going to go take a walk to clear my head, I'll be right back." She said as she got to her feet.

The boys nodded at her in understanding before resuming their blank stares. She left the room feeling really dizzy and guessed it was from the shock of everything that had happened.

As she made her way through the hallways, she realized that she'd absent-mindedly walked all the way to Johnny's old hospital room. The exact spot where she was now standing was where, just a few hours ago, Mrs. Cade had been screaming to see her son. Chelsea entered the room.

To her surprise, it was completely empty. There was no trace that Johnny had even stayed there apart from the copy of Gone With the Wind Two-Bit had snatched from the gift shop lying on the bedside table.

She picked up the book and flipped through the fragile binding, thinking about poor Johnny asking for nothing but a book while unknowingly lying in his deathbed.

The tears she was trying so hard to suppress resurfaced as her denial over the boy's death slowly disappeared.

"Excuse me Miss, can I help you?" a voice called from the entrance of the room.

After dropping the book, she wiped her eyes before turning to smile at the nurse standing in the doorway.

"Hi, yes do you know where the patient who was here has been moved?" she asked, wondering if there was still a chance that Johnny didn't die, and that he was just in surgery like the doctor had promised her.

The nurse tilted her head at her and frowned. "The patient was moved to another hospital to receive better medical care. There was little we could do for him here."

Chelsea felt her vision going red as she remembered what Steve had spoken when the other nurse said the same thing about Dally.

_"He's dead, Soda. They make up fancy bullshit like that so we think there's a chance that they're willing help us."_

A fury began building up inside her and she just nodded. "Oh right, I'm sorry for bothering you." She uttered angrily as she swiped the book from the tabletop and left the room in a flight of tears.

When she finally reached a corner of the hospital where no doctors, patients or nurses would find her, she collapsed; sliding her back down against the wall until she was curled up into a little ball of misery.

Her eyes swam with tears as she thought about Johnny. Poor Johnny, she'd never really got along with him that well but she never wanted him to die, not like this, not at all. Johnny was a hero, he lost his life saving those little kids and he was the reason Dally made it so long without getting killed. He'd been living for Johnny. Johnny; the scared little puppy who'd been kicked too many times; who had abusive parents that didn't care if he was dead or alive. He was always trying to see the best in everything.

Then there was Dallas, impulsive, crazy, protective Dallas who tried to pretend that he didn't give a damn about anything or anyone when he really did. Why else would be risk his life to save Johnny from that burning building? Or keep him and Ponyboy safe from the cops. Dally may have been the most criminal out of the gang but he was also wisest, and he did have a heart despite what everyone said.

Why did the best people die young? Johnny and Dally had their whole lives ahead of them, and who knows? Maybe Johnny could have changed Dally enough that he would've given a damn about his future too.

Then there was Ponyboy, hanging on to life. Chelsea knew if she lost him, she'd lose the will to live and all the positive feelings he'd ever given her about life too. She and all of those devastated boys in the waiting room couldn't afford to lose anyone else. Ponyboy was, is, her best friend. She loved him so much because he was always there for her and always so wonderful. Her heart shattered at the thought of losing him and she huddled her knees closer to her chest, staying in that position for a while.

* * *

"Chels?" a timid voice came from above.

The girl craned her neck to see Soda standing over her, looking as tired and broken up as she felt.

"I was looking all over for you-what's wrong?" he asked, realizing her face was shining with tears.

"Nothing." She choked; used to lying about how she really felt.

Soda leant against the wall. "Do you wanna talk about it?"

Chelsea shook her head again, and watched in surprise as Soda sat down beside her on the ground.

There was an understanding passed between them as they both sat against the wall, saying nothing and waiting.

Finally, Chelsea calmed herself down enough to speak;

"I'm sorry I disappeared, I just-I can't believe everything that just happened tonight, Johnny's dead, Dally's dead, Ponyboy is sick and he may be dying. I thought I could help, I thought there was some way I could change things but it turns out there's nothing I can do."

Sodapop turned to look at her as she covered her face with her hands to hide her tears.

"Chelsea," he started softly, "I know you feel hopeless, but you gotta look on the bright side, at least Johnny isn't suffering anymore. He's in a better place. He's with Dally and they're both going to be much happier there than they ever were here."

She lifted her head and stared at him.

"Think about it," he continued, "heaven, it's a lovely place. My mom is there, and my dad, and your mom, and now Johnny and Dally too. Sure it's painful to see them go and we miss them now but soon enough we'll see them again; and besides, they wouldn't want us to spend every waking moment crying about them and wasting our lives mourning when we could be out living our lives for them."

Chelsea looked down at the ground thoughtfully as Soda went on.

"When my parents died I told myself that I would spend every day living life to the fullest no matter what anyone said. That's why I always act so crazy."

He smiled as the brunette shot him an expression of disbelief and chuckled to himself.

"Okay, true I've been this way forever but now I have a purpose. I'm living my life for my parents, and I'm not taking a day for granted because you never know which one is your last. And when you lose someone, no matter how long you've had with them, it will never seem like enough."

Chelsea sniffed and smiled at him, "You know, for a high school drop-out you are extremely intelligent and insightful."

Soda smiled back, "Yeah well, you can't really learn a lot of life lessons from just passing auto mechanics and gym." He joked.

Still grinning, she watched as Soda got to his feet.

"Need a hand?" he asked, offering to pull her up. Chelsea declined and pulled herself up in order to follow Soda down the hallway.

"Darry told me you're staying with us for a while." He commented as they continued on their way.

Chelsea shoved her hands into her jean pockets and replied; "Yeah, I um… I'm having some issues at home."

He raised an eyebrow at her; "What kind of issues?"

"I'd rather not say," Chelsea shrugged and looked down at the floor ashamedly.

Her mother had always said that one of her greatest faults was the fact that she could never ask for help. She had gained her father's characteristic of being afraid of being perceived as weak, but instead of bullying people like her father did in order to seem powerful, Chelsea would say nothing. The girl could be dying and instead of going to a hospital she'd probably try to treat herself at home because of her stubbornness.

The problem with that was, when someone did help her with something, or do something for her that she didn't ask them to do, she would clam up and not know how to thank that person because she felt embarrassed; having someone do something she was perfectly capable of. Usually she'd mumble a thank you and awkwardly turn away so they wouldn't see her looking so confused. However, with certain people, she'd get used to them helping her and she'd just naturally thank them and then wouldn't feel as bad asking them for help.

However, despite his willingness to help her in the past, Soda's comforting words had her feeling vulnerable, and him asking her if she was okay with things at home made her uncomfortable. How could she tell him? Would he see her as pathetic because she'd endured her father's beatings for years without so much as a plea for help? Would Soda think she was stupid and deserved to be beaten?

She wanted to tell him. Desperately she wanted to ask for his help but all that came out was. "Thanks for making me feel better back there."

_I guess it's easier to thank than to ask for a favor,_ Chelsea admitted to herself sheepishly.

Sodapop grinned, "No problem. You know you can always talk to me when you're upset right? Well, any of us, I'm sure would be happy to help."

Chelsea sucked in her cheeks and nodded, feeling uneasy again.

"Oh and part of the reason I went to find you was to tell you that the nurse is letting us into Pony's room if you want to see him."

Chelsea gasped, "Yes, I want to see to him. I need to talk to him."

Soda chuckled at her enthusiasm, "Yeah I thought you might say that."

They both stopped abruptly in front of a hospital room. Unsurely, she backed away until Soda gestured for her to go inside.

"Darry's already in there with Two-Bit, I'm gonna take Steve home because he can barely walk, but I'll be right back okay?" Soda said evenly.

"Okay," she replied with a smile, catching a glimpse Ponyboy in his bed out of the corner of her eye.

Soda watched her turn to gaze at his younger brother and sighed before taking off to find Steve.

With a sleepy smile on her face, Chelsea fully entered the room to find a slumbering Darry in an armchair and a nervous looking Two-Bit sitting in a folding chair beside him. There was an empty chair on the opposite side of the bed, which Chelsea decided to take.

"Hey Mickey," Two-Bit greeted her as he took a drag of his cigarette.

"Two-Bit, we're in a hospital," she snapped, glaring at him.

He shrugged, "What does it matter? No one cares anyway."

Chelsea gave him a sympathetic look before returning her gaze to an unconscious Ponyboy. She sighed hopelessly.

"You know, he really does care about you." Two-Bit said between drags. "When I met up with him after he walked you home he had the biggest dumb smile on his face."

She brightened at hearing this and reached out to tenderly stroke Ponyboy's cheek.

Two-Bit exhaled a large puff of smoke and sighed. "I hope he makes it through alright. Heck, I'm sure he will, the doc said if he starts talking or moving, then we'll know for sure."

The girl looked up with fear in her hazel eyes; "He hasn't said anything yet?"

"No," Two-Bit yawned loudly, stretching his arms out and accidentally hitting Darry in the process.

"Huh, wha- Ponyboy?" he mumbled as he sat up straight and rubbed the sleep from his eyes.

"Go back to sleep," Two-Bit said rolling his eyes, "Pony's still in a coma."

Darry mumbled incoherently until he noticed Chelsea sitting across from him.

"Has he said-"

"No," she interrupted before he could finish, "he hasn't said anything yet."

Darry nodded dejectedly and sank back into his chair to resume staring at his little brother with empty eyes.

"Well I guess I'd better go; only girlfriends and brothers stay overnight I'm guessing." Whispered Two-Bit slyly as he got up from his seat.

"Girlfriend," echoed Darry coming out of his aimless staring. "What girlfriend? Ponyboy doesn't have a-"

He paused mid-sentence, observing Chelsea's blush spread across her face.

"Ohhh." He remarked as he widened his eyes and smiled.

"How long?" he added.

"Not even a day," Two-Bit answered for the blushing girl. "He asked her out after we went to see Johnny at the hospital this morning. They haven't even been on a real date yet."

Darry nodded as Two-Bit spoke but turned his attention back to Chelsea when he was done.

"Why didn't you tell us?" he asked.

"Because, me and Pony decided we'd tell everyone after the rumble but then all this stuff happened and I wanted to just make sure Ponyboy recovers before saying anything. But since Two-Bit can't keep his fucking mouth shut the whole world will know by tomorrow." She retorted, seeming mildly irritated.

Two-Bit smirked, "Yeah well, y'all need something good to talk about besides all the doom and gloom going on. I'm gonna leave now, but I'll be back tomorrow."

Darry and Chelsea said goodbye and watched their friend leave with tired eyes.

The eldest Curtis brother returned his notice to the girl sitting across from him and spoke;

"Listen, I'm happy for you both and all but a lot of things have happened and I don't want you to get upset if he wakes up and isn't as into everything as you are."

"I know," she reassured him, "the second he wakes up we're going to have a long talk about everything before we actually tell everyone."

Without a doubt she believed Ponyboy would wake up. Her mind refused to further entertain the other possibility.

"Tell everyone what?" Soda enquired as he walked into the room and plopped himself down in what had been Two-Bit's chair.

Darry smirked, "Well it seems Pony here has got himself a girlfriend."

Soda cocked an eyebrow and looked between the two of them; "Oh yeah, who?"

"You're looking at her," Chelsea said crossing her arms over her chest hesitantly.

Soda's jaw dropped and his eyes bulged. "No way, really? Wow, just wow… Man I knew he liked you but I didn't think-wow."

Chelsea shrank in her seat a little feeling a little awkward as Sodapop's bewildered reaction was not what she'd expected. Darry noticed this and stood up from his chair;

"You know what, I'm a little hungry. Hey Pepsi-Cola wanna come down to the cafeteria with me so we can grab something to eat?"

The middle Curtis brother who had not removed his gaze from Chelsea's since her confession, nodded uneasily.

"Uh yeah sure, let's go."

He left the room with Darryl in pursuit, but upon leaving the room the elder brother turned around and winked at Chelsea as if to say; "Don't worry about him, I'll take care of it."

In response she smiled back brightly until the door shut, leaving her with the sound many beeping machines nearby for company.

Shifting herself into a more comfortable position, she took Ponyboy's hand and looked right at his peaceful face.

"Look, I know you probably can't hear me unless you're having one of those weird out-of-body experiences we read about, and if so give me the sign we agreed on."

Chelsea paused expecting to hear something crash nearby which is what they both promised each other they would use as a signal if one of them died first or if one of them had an out-of-body experience. There was no sound except for the continuous beep of the machines.

"Okay," she mumbled, taking a deep breath, "I miss you Pony, something awful and I wish you could come back. Please get better, I don't know what I'm gonna do without you, you're my best friend and I really need you."

The boy lying in the bed made no response and Chelsea felt herself breaking down again.

The pain she felt gave her the motivation she needed as she then proceeded to tell him everything; everything she had wanted to tell Soda earlier but hadn't been able to. The story of how her father had become an alcoholic when she was a little girl, how her mother would always tend to all of her wounds, how after her mother died she was afraid she wouldn't be able to take care of herself and then she told him about her decision to run away.

By the end of the story she was fighting back tears as hard as she could and knew that at any moment Soda and Darry would be coming back. Looking back at the unconscious boy in the bed beneath her made her heart ache. He still hadn't made a single sound or even attempted to move.

"Please," she begged him, her hot tears waiting in the wings to fall again.

Not a sound was heard. He didn't stir.

Chelsea suddenly felt all the emptiness in her body struggling to swallow her whole and hugged her knees to her chest, while fiercely fighting back the waterworks.

* * *

"I'm sorry little buddy," Darry mumbled as they waited in line to pay for their chocolate pudding, chicken wrap and candy bars.

Soda who was clutching the candy bars in his arms frowned at his older brother.

"Sorry about what? That Chelsea's dating Ponyboy? How does that affect me?"

Darry groaned and moved up in the line. "It doesn't but I know you kinda had feelings for her so, I thought maybe-"

"You thought wrong Dar; I don't have feelings for her. Or at least I don't anymore. She's a nice girl; pretty, smart, but she's with Ponyboy and I'm gonna have to accept that." Soda interrupted.

"So, you do have feelings for her?"

"I dunno Darry! What difference does it make anyway. She loves Ponyboy, and you'd have to be an idiot to think he doesn't feel the same way about her."

Darry sighed, "You know, before all this murder business I actually thought maybe the two of you would get together. I could've sworn I saw something, especially that night when I had to pick you guys up from her house to go to the hospital; but I guess I was wrong."

Sodapop looked stumped as he followed his brother to the cashier to pay and pondered what had been said.

_Did Darry think Chelsea had a crush on me or something? _Soda wondered silently as he drummed his fingers on the countertop.

Once they finished with their purchases; Darry motioned for them to sit at a nearby table to enjoy their food.

"I thought we were going back upstairs." Soda remarked with a quizzical look as he sat down.

Darry shrugged as he took a bite of his chicken wrap. "Give Chelsea and Pony some time," he said between bites, "you never know, maybe she can get through to him."

Soda leant back in his chair and crossed his arms, "Darry, do you ever think that maybe Chelsea's hiding something from us?"

After swallowing his food the older brother looked up at him with a puzzled face.

"It's just, I don't know, she just seems like she's hiding something and today I could've sworn she looked like she really wanted to tell me something but couldn't. Maybe it as something to do with that scar she got; I don't know if it's just me but that doesn't look like a cut from a beer bottle, it looks like one of those cuts that J-Johnny,"

Soda took a deep breath and wiped his eyes after saying his dearly departed friend's name.

"-had when those Socs jumped him." He finished miserably.

Darry, who had also teared up when Soda mentioned their friend's name, questioned; "You mean like from a ring?"

"Yeah, do you think there's something going on she's not telling us about?"

"Whatever it is little buddy, I'm sure it can't be that bad. Maybe she got into a fight with someone at school, or accidentally hit herself with her own ring-you remember how accident prone she said she is."

Sodapop nodded at Darry's reassurance but continued to think about it. It was all he could really think about considering everything else going on in his life brought up painful memories. His heart ached and he began to think about Sandy; what he would do if she could be here with him…

* * *

The night passed by uneventfully with Darry, Soda and Chelsea sitting in mostly silence. None of them got a lot of rest; eventually around noon, Two-Bit and Steve showed up with lunch and waited with them for a couple hours before heading home again. By nightfall Chelsea knew she had to make sure Darry and Soda got some rest.

* * *

"Darry?" she whispered, shaking the larger boy's arm.

He blinked rapidly in response and grunted.

"Why don't you and Soda go home and rest, take a shower, eat something and I'll hang around here for the rest of the night. " she suggested as she put her cards down on the small table.

Steve had brought a deck of cards to entertain them and she and Soda had been playing a slow but determined round of Go Fish.

Darry, who was falling asleep in his chair again mumbled;

"It's alright, we'll stay here."

Chelsea glanced over at Soda, who had been staring at his deck of cards for the past few minutes, probably hallucinating from his state of exhaustion, and she hit Darry's arm again.

"No, you and Soda need to sleep you hear me? Go home, and take a nap. I promise if Ponyboy so much as sneezes in his sleep I'll run to the phone and call you."

The oldest Curtis looked at her unwavering expression and sighed knowing he was no match for the determined girl.

"Okay, but we'll be back, and you better call if anything happens. No matter the time." He replied, standing up and flexing his muscles.

Chelsea yawned "Yes Darry," and watched him drag Soda out of the room who was still staring at his hand of cards looking disoriented.

Once the two boys left the hospital, she looked over to where Ponyboy was still sound asleep in the bed.

"Move over Pon, I'm going to join ya." She whispered as she climbed into the bed and lay down beside him.

Leaning her head against his chest, she fell fast asleep.

* * *

"No changes yet?"

"None, I'm sorry miss, nothing new to report."

Chelsea stood against the wall nearby Ponyboy's bed as the nurse checked him over to update his condition. She'd been sleeping soundly for a couple of hours before the nurse had woken her up to check Ponyboy over.

"Is there anything I can do?" she asked the woman who was feverishly writing things down on her clipboard.

The nurse shook her head, "I'm sorry, all we can do is just wait. I guess talking to him as if he's awake can't hurt either, even humming or singing might work too. You know they say sometimes in cases like this they can hear everything that's going on. They call it an out-of-body experience."

Chelsea smiled weakly at the nurse who seemed excited by the possibility of the idea.

"Yeah, I guess I'll try to communicate."

The nurse smiled encouragingly and left her to it.

Chelsea let out a deep breath before sitting down on the foot of the bed. She held Pony's hand in hers and squeezed it wishing more than anything he would just squeeze back.

Considering what the nurse said about humming and singing possibly having an effect, she began singing one of her favorite songs.

"There's nothing you can do that can't be done, there's nothing you can sing that can't be sung," She sang softly, feeling stupid and embarrassed.

Chelsea knew she had a terrible singing voice and if Ponyboy even came out of his coma from her doing this it would probably be to tell her to shut up because; she sounded so bad and he hated the Beatles.

"There's nothing you can say but you can learn how to play the game, it's easy." She sang louder, thinking maybe he would wake up or at least move.

The girl continued singing the song and smiling to herself because maybe it was a trick of the light or her own imagination but she could see Pony's face changing from peaceful obliviousness to mild annoyance.

_I'll annoy him out of his coma! _She thought to herself and kicked up the volume.

"All you need is love, all you need is love,"

Without warning, she felt pressure on her hand and stopped singing to look down at the boy.

He was stirring!

"DOCTOR!" She cried loudly, and a doctor entered the room a few seconds later.

"Yes? What seems to be the trouble?" he asked studying her excited expression as she leapt up.

"Ponyboy he-he squeezed my hand! I was singing to him and I felt the pressure in my hand!" she exclaimed.

The doctor continued to stare at her with a baffled expression on his face.

"Don't you need to check his pulse or something to see if he's awake?" she asked hopefully, knowing that there had to be some change in his health that would indicate if he was feeling better.

Sighing, the doctor checked over Ponyboy and then looked back at her.

"There's been no change, perhaps you imagined him squeezing your hand? You know what they say, if you imagine something hard enough it comes true."

Chelsea rolled her eyes, "I know he squeezed my hand. I'm not making this up; I'm completely serious."

Still smiling at her patiently, the doctor shook his head. "If you feel it again call one of the nurses, they'll be happy to help you first."

She lowered her eyes and didn't look up until she heard the door shut behind him on the way out. Instantly she walked back to the bed and climbed into it again.

"Come on, don't play games with me. I know you squeezed my hand you little idiot." She snapped at her unconscious friend.

"Oh don't give me that look; I am not crazy." She added realizing his face had gone back the peaceful mask it had been before.

Taking his hand in hers again, she began singing but paused after a moment to say, "You're lucky I don't have my dad's guitar or I'd play 'I wanna hold your hand' until I woke up everyone in this damned hospital."

Still, Ponyboy didn't move or speak.

"Please," she began begging him again, "Come on, please do something. Come back."

With nothing but silence from as a response from her boy, she shook her head and climbed out of the bed and sank into her chair.

"All you need is love, all you need is love, all you need is love, love; love is all you need." She finished sorrowfully as she lay her head on the side rails of the bed in surrender.

"Chelsea?" a groggy voice asked.

Her head snapped up. "Hello?"

"Where's Sodapop?" The same voice asked.

She gasped, suddenly grasping where the voice was coming from.

"PONYBOY!" She shouted jubilantly, throwing her arms around his chest.

"Darry, I'm sorry." He mumbled, rolling over onto his side so Chelsea could see his face.

"NURSE! HE'S TALKING!" She yelled as loudly as she could and the redheaded nurse, who had told her to sing to Ponyboy, came rushing in the door to check him over again.

"Soda, I need Soda." The boy muttered, and the nurse grinned at a now-standing Chelsea.

"He's going to be alright," she said in a relieved voice after having checked him over, "but don't give him any soda to drink yet."

Chelsea just laughed.

* * *

**A/N: Hello my lovelies! Thank you so much for your continued support on this story, it really means the world to me. I don't know what I'd do without you guys! Hopefully you all enjoyed this chapter; I slipped in some Chelsea/Sodapop scenes because I feel like she's been ignoring him a little bit with everything going on. However, as you all know, Ponyboy is going to be all right ;) but there will be some complications... So any requests? Let me know what you guys think! I LOVE feedback, praise, criticism-anything you can give me! I especially appreciate any advice you're willing to give as long as it's nice :) Anywho, thank you so much and I hope you all have wonderful days!**

**-Love, Melody**

* * *

P.S: I know I stated earlier in the story that I pictured Chelsea as a young version of the singer Marina Diamandis (Marina and the Diamonds) so when I wrote in this chapter that Chelsea doesn't think she is a good singer I in no way meant to criticize or slander Marina's voice. I personally think Marina is one of the greatest singers of all time and Chelsea is just a fictional character and therefore not an exact copy of Marina. Okay, just wanted to clarify that :)

* * *

**Song Used**:

All You Need is Love- The Beatles


	14. Conflicted

**_Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders, all rights belong to their owners. I only claim rights to Chelsea and her family._**

* * *

After his first few words, Ponyboy wouldn't shut up. He kept asking for Soda, and Darry even though they had never left his side after Chelsea called them to update their brother's condition.

Sometimes he would call out for his parents and occasionally he would mumble some of the gang's names and Chelsea's and he'd talk about the details of Windrixville. However, every time anyone would try to feed him, he'd push away his food and mumble something about baloney.

Chelsea was extremely anxious for her best friend to recover and so was Soda and Darry. They begged the doctors to let them take him home so they could nurse him back to help themselves. Eventually, the doctors gave in and Darry happily carried his younger brother out of the hospital with a relieved Chelsea and Sodapop following him out.

When Ponyboy was put to bed that night, he awoke, only for a moment to the astonishment of his brothers and best friend.

"Soda," he coughed, "is someone sick?"

Darry sighed in relief, while Chelsea smiled.

"Yeah," Soda chuckled, "someone's sick. Now go back to sleep."

The boy moaned in reply before turning on his side and falling fast asleep again.

Darry smiled and tucked him in gently before leaving the room.

This left Soda and Chelsea alone in the room together.

Chelsea ruffled Pony's hair and turned to leave but was prevented by Soda who grabbed her elbow.

"Huh?" she exclaimed, whirling around to face him.

He placed a finger to his lips and nodded his head towards the bedroom door before mouthing; "come with me."

Puzzled by his request, Chelsea nodded and followed him out of the bedroom and out of the house to sit with him on the creaky porch swing.

"What's up?" she asked looking into his warm eyes.

"How did you get that scar underneath your eye?"

Chelsea frowned and pressed it gingerly. "I told you already; I tripped and ended up getting glass in it."

Soda stared her accusingly and Chelsea began sweating nervously.

"How did that happen?" Soda pressed on.

She rolled her eyes and smiled, "I'm a klutz Soda. I was clearing up from the party and there were broken beer bottles all over the place. I picked some up to throw out but I ended up tripping over a patio tile and landing on a fragment of glass that I had to pull out with tweezers and that left a scar."

He nodded in understanding, part of him believing her story, the other part of him unable to deny that something fishy was going on.

"Pony's gonna be awake soon," he said after a while.

Chelsea grinned, showing her excitement about his awakening.

"You really care about him don't you?" Soda asked honestly, staring deep into her eyes.

"Would I be with him if I didn't?" she replied, crossing her arms.

He smirked, "Okay, good point."

She smiled back at him then began to shiver in the night air.

"Don't get me wrong, I'm really happy for both of you but well, I just hope things work out for you two." He mumbled while using his feet to swing them back and forth.

"Thank you," Chelsea replied, as she wrapped her arms around her bare shoulders she looked back to the house. It was a bad day for her to wear her short white sundress with a red cherry print.

"Oh you must be freezing, let's go back inside!" Soda exclaimed, taking in her shaking frame. He grabbed her hand and rushed her back to the house.

Later when Chelsea climbed onto the couch to sleep she thought about how close Soda had come to discovering the truth. He'd almost found her out and she couldn't get why that frightened her so much. Most of all, she wondered why Soda's opinion of her mattered.

She supposed that it was because they'd grown closer from Ponyboy being in Windrixville for that week, but she didn't understand why her well-being was so important to him either. Did he have a crush on her or something?

Chelsea laughed softly to herself, _Yeah, right_, she thought before burying her head into the pillows and letting sleep claim her.

* * *

After a rough night of tossing and turning, Chelsea awoke to the sound of pots and pans banging together. Her eyes flickered to the nearby clock hanging on the wall to read the time. 6:35 a.m.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes before slowly getting up and going into the kitchen to investigate who was in there at this ungodly hour, since the boys never got up until around 9.

Darry had once told her that he kept the door unlocked at all times, and although a lot of people disagreed with him over this, he'd explained that if it kept his friends out of jail then it was worth it. Besides, he was well armed in case any robbers happened to show up.

Now Chelsea was worried that maybe someone had snuck in. Looking to her left she grabbed the first thing she saw-an umbrella, and proceeded into the kitchen to surprise the intruder only to put it back after realizing that it was Sodapop who was in the kitchen making that racket.

"Hey Chels," he said smiling warmly once he saw her.

"Hey!" she replied, and noting that he was apparently brewing some coffee.

The girl shook her head, "Soda it's really early, what are you doing up and making coffee?"

He sighed and leant back against the counter. "I couldn't sleep." He admitted.

"Oh," she said back, relaxing a little, "I know what you mean. I don't think I've had a good night's sleep yet since…" she trailed off shaking her head at the thought.

"I'm scared Chels, I'm scared that Pony won't wake up again. What if something happens to him? Every time I try to close my eyes and sleep I see him with my mom and dad and I just…" he covered his face with his hands and moaned.

Chelsea put her hands on his wrists and slowly pulled them away from his face. "Hey," she said in a soothing voice.

"Listen to me, Ponyboy is going to be fine, alright? The doctors said that he would make full recovery and he's going to wake up, he already has. We just need to be patient okay? Give him a little more time and he'll be alive and kicking. I know you miss your buddy and so do I, but we just gotta have faith."

She smiled at him reassuringly and he gave her a feeble smile back.

"Now come here," she said widening her arms to give her friend a hug.

He stared at her for a moment oddly before finally giving in and letting her wrap her arms around him.

"Everything is gonna be okay, you have to stop worrying or you'll start sprouting grey hairs." She mumbled into his shoulder.

Sodapop laughed, and when he pulled away from her she jumped and patted her own cheek.

"Whoa, I someone needs a shave!" the young girl exclaimed, stroking the cheek that had rubbed against his harsh stubble.

"Alright, alright." He mumbled, "I guess I'll go take a shower too." he yawned loudly before walking towards the bathroom.

He paused for a moment then turned back to her with exhaustion in his eyes.

"I know you don't like coffee that much so I made you some hot chocolate-it's on the stove."

Touched by his attentiveness, Chelsea beamed and thanked him.

The boy smiled back at her before leaving the kitchen.

Chelsea took a mug out of the cabinet and filled it up with the hot chocolate. Before she could finish the drink, Darry wandered into the kitchen sleepily.

"Hey Chelsea, you seen Soda?" he slurred, steadying himself against the counter.

"Yep, he went to take a shower. But um," she grabbed another mug out of the cabinet and filled it with coffee, "he made some coffee and you look like you could really use a cup."

Darry took the cup from her carefully and took a long sip. "Thanks," he gasped.

The young girl nodded and then crossed her arms. "Did you sleep at all Darry?"

He shrugged, "I think I slept for about five hours or so."

"Jeez the doctors were right, if you two don't get enough sleep you'll both end up back at the hospital yourselves." She muttered in disbelief.

Darry snickered in response then yawned, making Chelsea's point even more valid.

Laughing, she began to pull out the ingredients in order to make breakfast for everyone.

"You don't have to do that Chelsea, I'll make breakfast." Darry said, stopping her from turning on the stove.

"That's alright, Darry I don't mind." She smiled as she continued to make breakfast.

He didn't smile back. "Chelsea, you're dead on your feet, it looks like if you don't get some sleep soon you're gonna pass out."

"I'm fine," she said firmly, shrugging him off.

"Chelsea," he said in a low voice, "take a look at what you're doing."

The befuddled girl looked down at her hands and realized that she hadn't broken the eggs like she thought, instead she had chucked them into a bowl (shells and all) and started stirring with a butter knife.

"Oh!" she exclaimed in surprise, dropping the bowl onto the countertop.

He smiled at her, "Go into my room and get some rest. I can't imagine that couch being very comfortable."

"It's not so bad," she mumbled, "it's just I can't make my brain shut up."

Darry sighed, "Yeah, I know what that feels like."

Chelsea noted that Darry suddenly looked older than 20 and sadly realized how much the past year had aged him.

"Anyways, just lie down and try to get some sleep at least." He asked kindly.

She nodded and trudged to Darry's room but stumbled over a stray shirt that was lying on the ground near the bathroom.

"Sodapop Curtis what in the world-" she mumbled to herself but then let out a gasp when she looked into the bathroom and saw Soda, clad in only jeans, shaving his neck with his eyes struggling to stay open.

Chelsea's eyes widened and she snatched the razor from him before he could accidentally cut himself.

"Soda! Wake up!" she shouted, shaking his shoulders violently.

His eyes opened and he looked down at her with fear in his eyes.

"What happened?"

"You almost cut your neck! Okay this has gotten to a life-threatening point, you need to sleep."

She grabbed a nearby towel, wiped his face free of the shaving cream and dragged him to his bedroom.

"Get in that bed and sleep or so help me I will knock you out cold." She threatened throwing him onto the bed.

He laughed at her authoritative tone until she shot him a death glare.

"Oh alright," he replied rolling over to sleep.

Satisfied, the brunette left with a smile on her face. She poked her head into Pony's room and found Darry hovering over his still sleeping form.

"What happened to Soda?" he asked, not taking his eyes off his little brother.

"He's fine; but he almost feel asleep shaving so I threw him into his bed and threatened to knock him out if he got up."

Darry nodded, "Okay, you do that."

Chelsea shook her head, "It's not right to blame yourself Darry. You had no idea what was going on with him, and he would've gotten sick regardless of whether you let him fight in that rumble."

Finally he looked up with saddened eyes, "I know, I just feel so guilty."

Smiling sympathetically Chelsea replied, "We all do. All of us wish we saw the signs sooner, but that's not going to fix anything. Besides, when Pony wakes up he won't want to see you all sad."

Darry brightened at this and sank into the armchair by his brother's bed.

"I'm gonna stay here awhile, you make sure you get some sleep though." He told her.

With all the fight drained out of her, Chelsea complied with his request, stumbling into the elder Curtis brother's room and collapsing on his bed for a few hours.

* * *

"Hey, Ponyboy!" someone yelped and Chelsea's eyes flickered open. She frowned trying to discern where she was and what was going on.

"No rough stuff, little buddy." She heard another voice, probably Darry, say with a small chuckle.

There was the sound of a mattress creaking and Soda's voice ringing out; "Gosh, but you were sick. You feel okay now?"

"I'm okay, just a little hungry." A third voice chimed in.

Suddenly Chelsea realized that the voice she'd just heard was Ponyboy's. He was awake!

Grinning widely, she sat up in Darry's bed and got to her feet.

"I should think you would be," Darry's deep voice echoed, "You wouldn't eat anything most of the time you were sick. How'd you like some mushroom soup?"

Checking her reflection in the mirror, Chelsea brushed her fingers through her messy brown hair and smiled the tired likeness in front of her.

"Man I'd like that just fine." Ponyboy replied to Darry's question.

Chelsea tiptoed over to her door and slowly opened it.

"I'll go make some. Sodapop, take it easy with him, okay?" Darry chorused as he walked out of Ponyboy's room.

"Oh hey Chelsea, you're awake." He said with a bright smile on his face.

She smiled back at him, "Yeah, thanks for letting me sleep. I feel a hell of a lot better."

"I'm glad," he replied, "and so do I. Ponyboy is finally awake!"

Laughing happily Chelsea responded, "So I've heard."

"I'm just gonna whip him up some mushroom soup. I'm guessing you want to see him?"

The girl nodded enthusiastically.

"Okay, but he's still dealing with a lot right now so be careful around him. Don't mention Johnny or Dally, alright?"

"Okay," she agreed, peering over to the semi-open bedroom door.

Darry smiled, "Go."

Excitedly Chelsea slid past him and pushed the bedroom door open to find Soda standing in front of the bed with Ponyboy staring at him bright-eyed.

"Chelsea!" Ponyboy exclaimed with a giant smile on his face.

Her heart was bursting with joy in that moment. She was so glad that he was finally awake, and he looked well. His skin had gone from pale to its natural coloring and his cheeks had a rosy tinge to them.

"You're finally awake!" she cried before running to his side and enveloping him in a giant hug.

Ponyboy hugged her back tight but then began shifting uncomfortably. "Uh Chelsea, I can't… breathe!" he choked.

With alarmed eyes she let go of him to hear Sodapop chuckling.

"And Darry thought I was the one being rough with you." He mumbled to Pony with a smile.

"Sodapop Patrick Curtis did you even get a second of sleep?" she asked putting her hands on her hips in a resolute manner.

He grinned wildly at her, "Maybe?"

She rolled her eyes at his antics and returned her attention to Ponyboy who was staring at his brother intensely.

"I bet you two haven't slept more than three hours since Saturday." He said frankly, "you both look half-dead."

"Scoot over." Soda said still grinning.

Ponyboy moved enough for Soda to clamber into the bed beside him and fall asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Pony looked back at Chelsea expectantly and patted a spot on the other side of him.

Shaking her head and smiling she climbed into the bed with him and kissed his cheek chastely before laying her head on the pillow and closing her eyes.

They were all fast asleep before Darry returned with the soup.

* * *

The rest of the week Ponyboy was forced to remain in bed-doctor's orders. This annoyed him beyond belief and everyone knew that.

On Wednesday, the day after Pony woke up, Darry ordered Chelsea to go back to school and Sodapop to go back to work. All of them had taken sick days on Monday and Tuesday in order to take care of Ponyboy.

The whole week passed with them leaving Ponyboy alone in the house until Chelsea returned from school to keep him company. Usually the doctor would come and check up on him in the morning but other than that he was alone.

But Chelsea knew he'd hate being alone for so long and had talked Two-Bit into driving her to the Curtis house everyday for lunch so they could surprise him.

Ponyboy loved these surprise visits especially when they brought him candy, as it was banned until he was feeling better.

Unfortunately, Darry found out that Chelsea and Two-Bit didn't return to school after visiting Pony in the afternoon and put a stop to it, muttering something about needing education.

No one quite liked this arrangement and on Friday of that week Chelsea had to go for the entire day which upset Pony.

* * *

A few mind-numbingly boring hours later, Chelsea returned to the Curtis household.

She crept into Pony's bedroom to find him sketching a picture and flopped down on the bed.

"Whatcha doing?" she asked playfully. She wore a sky blue dress that reached her knees and cut off at her elbows. Her hair was splayed in curls reaching down her back.

"Drawing," he murmured, not taking his eyes off of the paper.

Chelsea closed her eyes feeling bored and then opened them to see Ponyboy hovering above her.

"Yes?"

"Nothing, it's just you look really pretty like that." The boy mumbled with a slight blush forming.

Grinning the girl sat up, "Really?"

"You always look pretty," he retorted nonchalantly as if she knew this.

Chelsea just shook her head and laughed. She never thought she was pretty, sure she had some redeeming qualities like her hazel green eyes and her mother's wavy brown tresses but really she didn't think she was much to look at.

"Done," he exclaimed, putting his pencil down and gazing over his creation.

Intrigued, the girl leaned over to see what the image was of and smiled when she saw the likeness of her favorite actress; Marilyn Monroe, stenciled on the paper.

"It's lovely!" Chelsea sighed.

Ponyboy smiled, "I'm glad you like it. I drew it for you after all."

"For me?"

He nodded.

"Thank you! It's wonderful!" she beamed, taking the parchment and hugging it to her chest.

For a moment she gazed at his delighted expression gratefully then after noticing him sigh wistfully and gaze out the window she hatched a plan.

"Do you want to go outside?" she asked, her eyes dancing in a rebellious manner.

In response, Ponyboy leapt out of bed and threw on a sweater.

Chelsea giggled at his eagerness and the two of them quickly darted outside, ran towards their field by the park and collapsed in the grass.

"Are you tired?" she asked with concern in her voice. She didn't want him getting sicker but knew the fresh air would do him well as long as he didn't strain himself.

Ponyboy wriggled closer to her and smiled. "Nah, I'm fine. The fresh air really helps after being stuck in that room for like 5 days."

Chelsea laughed at his restlessness. Ponyboy, unlike his wild brother, could manage to sit still for longer than a minute but after about an hour, he'd need to get up and walk around or he'd die of boredom. This was something she truly enjoyed about him. He was always seeking adventure-like her.

The brunette closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh air of the meadow deeply, allowing her body to be bathed in sunlight. The comforting warmth, spread through her body and filled her with light.

She emitted a content sigh and let herself marinate in the pleasant light from the sun that seemed to fill her with such serenity.

The girl felt a shadow above her and became saddened, believing that a stray cloud was temporarily blocking the sunlight. Before she could open her eyes to see for herself, a light touch reached her nose.

Giggling, her hazel orbs flew open to see the green ones of Ponyboy smiling back at her after just having pressed a gentle kiss to the tip of her nose.

She wrapped her arms around him, still laughing when he kissed her mouth. They parted after some time, grinning like fools and lay back down in the grass side by side.

It was wonderful just to stay like that; carefree and ignorant of all the evils of the world. In their own little bubble where nothing, not pain or sadness, could reach them. It was a golden moment.

Unfortunately they couldn't stay there forever and after a while Chelsea and Pony headed home, swinging their hands together in rhythm as they walked. When they returned to the house, Chelsea climbed into bed with the boy and they spent their time reading stories to one another.

* * *

"Ponyboy," she said after some time.

He rolled over to make eye contact with her, "Yeah?"

She sighed, "What do you see for yourself in the future?"

He gave her and odd look then lay his head back to answer. "Uh, I guess I want to graduate school, maybe go to College and become an artist or something?" he shrugged before leaning over to check her reaction.

"What about like, family-wise?" she pressed as she began to curl a piece of her hair around her finger.

He frowned, "Like married? I don't know Chelsea. I'm still not sure yet, I mean this," he gestured at the two of them, "I really like this right now, but I'm not sure yet what's going to happen and I guess I wanna see where things go, you know what I mean?"

Nodding Chelsea gave him a small smile. She just wanted a serious relationship, she didn't just want to see where things went with him because that means one day he'd decide he doesn't want to be with her anymore and that day would be really painful because she wasn't just losing him as a potential boyfriend, but as her best friend too.

Conflicted she stared up at the ceiling in silence while Ponyboy read her book Alice in Wonderland, aloud. She was still thinking about what he'd said when a knock on the door interrupted them.

The two friends exchanged confused glances. The gang never knocked, they would just barge in unannounced and make a lot of noise. Who could be at the door?

"Maybe it's another one of your friends," Chelsea teased as she got up from the bed to answer the door. Pony just rolled his eyes and laughed darkly.

"After all you're extremely popular," she yelled over her shoulder jokingly before opening the door.

Her carefree grin converted into a look of bewilderment and shock.

"What the hell are you doing here!?"

* * *

**PLEASE READ!**

**A/N: Sorry about another cliffhanger guys but they're just so fun to make! First off how do you guys like the 'sort of' love triangle going on with Soda, Pony and Chelsea? Love it? Hate it? Think she should just stay with Ponyboy or dump him for Sodapop? PLEASE let me know! Because I have two separate storlyines in my head and I need to know which I should go with because I'd like some outsider opinions to help sway my decision. Let me know who you like her with!**

**Also, thank you guys for your continued support! I really appreciate it! PLEASE review, just click the little button and feed my muse because she's really hungry. Reviews are love and you are all thanked in advance!**

**-Love, Melody**


	15. Nightmares and a Night Out

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders or any of its characters, but I take ownership of Chelsea and her family. **

**A/N: I'm going to be throwing Evie into the story-let me know what you guys think of her, and I really hope you enjoy the chapter! **

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Chapter 15

The figure froze in the doorway, gazing at her with an equally shocked expression.

"I could ask you the same question." He finally uttered after having composed himself.

Chelsea cocked an eyebrow at him incredulously, "I live here now Randy, what's your excuse?"

Randy nodded slowly as he thought 'of course she would take refuge here.' The girl gestured for him to come inside then shut the door after he entered the house.

"Your dad is freaking out Marlene," he said in a worried tone, "the day you left he called my dad and told him that he was heading to Texas because you ran away there. I should've known you were bluffing."

The girl widened her eyes in surprise, "He-he went after me?"

Randy sat down on the edge of Darry's armchair, "Yeah, he left yesterday and plans on scouring the state until he finds you. I don't know why he won't just call the cops or something."

Chelsea began twisting a piece of her hair around her finger. "Because I asked him not to." She whispered to herself.

The curly-haired boy's head snapped up, having heard her. "Huh?"

"Randy," she began, looking deep into his brown eyes, "it is extremely important that you do not tell anyone I'm here, okay? Not your father, not your mother, not even your friends. NO ONE! Got it?"

He frowned at her pleading stare and sighed, "Oh alright, I still don't even get why you ran away in the first place to be with these hoodlums."

Chelsea shot him a dirty look.

"I-I mean boys, these nice boys." He corrected himself remembering that he wanted to remain on cordial terms with her.

"What do you want?" she asked leaning against the kitchen wall.

"I want to talk to Ponyboy," he told her in a determined voice.

"Why?"

"Because, I want to ask him about how the trial is going to go."

Chelsea clapped a hand to her forehead. That stupid hearing! How could she have forgotten? It was in two days time, and Darry had been writing up what Ponyboy was going to say for the past few days.

"Yeah, I uh, just wanted to tell him what I'm going to say and I wanna know what he's going to say." He replied awkwardly as he looked down at his suede shoes.

The girl looked up at the boy in front of her. He looked exhausted, and she remembered what he had said about the hearing; that the moment it was over he was going to leave town. How would he survive on his own? He was just a kid, like her.

"I don't know Randy," she mumbled, "he's still sort of recovering. It's been a really tough few weeks for him and I don't want to see him get hurt."

"I promise, I won't do anything to upset him." Randy swore as he put his hands up in surrender.

After mulling it over in her head Chelsea sighed, giving in despite her better judgment. "Follow me,"

She led him to Ponyboy's room and told him to stand outside while she spoke with him.

Entering the room Chelsea watched Pony's lips curl up into a delighted smile. "Hey, who was at the door?"

When she didn't return the smile he knew something was off.

"Pony, you've got a visitor." She told him in a melancholy voice and opened the door wider to reveal Randy standing in the hallway looking squeamish.

Ponyboy shrugged, "Oh, hi Randy. You can come in."

A worried Chelsea watched Randy step into the room and wondered whether she was doing the right thing. Sure Randy had been nice the last time they spoke but Ponyboy was in such a fragile state that anything could set him off. Chewing her lip nervously she watched as Randy pulled up a chair next to her boy's bed and sat down.

"Do you want me to stay?" she asked Ponyboy after a short silence.

Pony shook his head and wavered her away. "I'll be alright."

"Okay well," Chelsea stumbled out of the door as she spoke, "holler if you need me."

The door clicked shut behind her and she headed towards the kitchen to whip up some more chocolate cake. For some reason baking that cake had become a therapy for her. She knew the recipe so well it was possible for her to do it blindfolded and at least if her hands were busy she could stop fretting so much.

* * *

About halfway through the baking of the cake in the oven, Darry showed up.

"Hey, I'm home." He called as he clambered through the front door.

Noting that Ponyboy hadn't called back and Chelsea was in the kitchen, Darry's suspicions arose.

"Chelsea," he said in a smooth voice, "what's going on?"

Smiling she raised from the oven and greeted him. "I'm just making some chocolate cake, Ponyboy has a visitor and they're just talking."

Darry nodded at the oven, "Who's the visitor?"

Sheepishly she turned away, "Umm it's um… Randy."

Wincing, she expected Darry to hit her like her father did whenever she said something out of line but he didn't. Instead Darrell Curtis just shrugged and began assembling dinner for himself.

"Wait, you're not, mad?" she asked thinking that Darry's reaction was a little odd.

"I am a bit, I mean I'm not crazy about the guy who nearly drowned my kid brother in a freezing cold fountain but I figure if you and Pony trust him then he can't be that bad."

Chelsea smiled in relief, which then turned to panic when she heard loud shouting coming from the bedroom.

"JOHNNY IS NOT DEAD!" Ponyboy's hysterical voice insisted.

Darry immediately rushed to the bedroom, living up to his nickname of Superman, and dragged Randy out.

"Listen to me," he growled in an animalistic voice, "You don't talk to him about Johnny. You hear me?!"

Randy nodded with fear in his dark eyes and ran like a frightened animal when Darry released the back of his shirt.

Chelsea didn't waste a second after that; "Ponyboy!" she exclaimed, rushing into his bedroom to comfort him.

"No!" he shouted as she came in.

"But Pony!" She exclaimed as she froze in the doorway.

"Leave me alone, all of you! Johnny is not dead. Johnny and Dallas are alive you hear me? THEY'RE ALIVE NOT DEAD AND NOT GUILTY!"

He began crying hysterically and she felt her heart ache to hold him and comfort him but knew she couldn't or he'd be furious with her.

Darry's warm grip took her arm and guided her out of the room, which echoed with the anguished cries of Ponyboy.

"I'm sorry," Chelsea whispered, feeling the hot tears welling up in her eyes, "I never should have let Randy in. This is my fault I didn't mean to-I'm sorry Darry."

"Shh," Darry murmured and held her against his chest to soothe her quiet sobs like her mother once did.

"It's alright, he needed to face reality sooner or later. Besides, he'll come around." Darry reassured her. But the tone of his voice made her believe he was only saying that to make her feel better which somehow managed to make her feel even worse.

* * *

Despite Darry's words, Ponyboy didn't get any better. If anything he only got worse. The boy refused to talk to anyone, not even Sodapop, and whenever he was with a member of the gang he'd sit there looking like a zombie until someone smacked him out of it. He was pushing everyone who cared about him away and It broke their hearts to see him this way, and the most affected was Chelsea who tried all she could to get him back.

The determined girl tried reading his favorite book to him, drawing pictures for him, making his favorite food, and cuddling with him but in the end she might as well have been doing it with a statue for all the response she got.

It wounded her deeply because she hated seeing him so…numb. He was disconnected from the world and no one could get through to him. She didn't know when Ponyboy would come back but this shell of her best friend was hurting everyone.

* * *

One night, Chelsea awoke from her sleep to hear the sound of someone sobbing loudly. The girl rubbed her eyes and climbed off of the couch where she slept, to investigate.

The sound was coming from Ponyboy's room and she realized he was having another nightmare. The whole week, he would wake up crying loudly in the middle of the night, usually Sodapop would climb into bed with him and he'd stop crying but it seemed as if that wasn't working tonight.

Yawning, Chelsea entered the room slowly and made out the figures of Darry and Soda hovering over Ponyboy who was still crying over his nightmare.

"Hey Chels," Soda said smiling sleepily at her.

Smiling back at him, she climbed onto the foot of the bed.

"Why won't he go back to sleep?"

Soda sighed, "We don't know."

"We've tried everything; warm milk, blankets, pillows, cuddling but he just won't go to sleep." Darry said desperately.

"What about a lullaby?" the girl suggested, hugging her knees to her chest.

Soda and Darry exchanged glances.

"Do either of you know any lullabies?"

The boys shook their head in unison. Both explained miserably that they couldn't remember the lullaby their mother used to sing to them.

Sympathy invaded her body. It was obvious that the loss of their mother still weighed heavily on their hearts like her. The worst part about this moment was that what they needed more than anything right now was their mother; a person to hold them tight and sing them to sleep. Who would love and watch over them while they slumbered.

With good intentions in her heart, Chelsea moved closer to them and spoke;

"I'm a terrible singer but I remember the lullaby my mom sang to me when I was sad. If you want I could try to sing Ponyboy to sleep."

Soda smiled at her encouragingly and Darry rubbed his eyes sleepily. "That would be wonderful," he sighed.

Shaking, she positioned herself on the bed in order to be beside Ponyboy, with Darry on his other side and Soda on hers.

"**Deep in the meadow, under the willow. **

**A bed of grass, a soft green pillow**

**Lay down your head and close your eyes**

**And when they open the sun will rise**."

Her voice cracked a little but she thought her voice sounded alright overall and beside her Ponyboy's sobs were subsiding which pushed her to continue the song.

"**Here it's safe, and here it's warm**

**Here the daisies guard you from every harm**

**Here your dreams are sweet and tomorrow brings them true**

**Here is the place where I love you."**

Memories of her mother washed through Chelsea's head and she felt her mother in the room with them. The young girl could almost see the brown eyes of her mom looking upon her with love and hope.

Chelsea's eyes fluttered closed and she curled her body to match the boy who was lying beside her. Her fingers were entwined with Ponyboy's who had just fallen into a deep sleep. Unbeknownst to her, Darry had also been claimed by sleep as well as Sodapop who had involuntarily wrapped an arm around her. The last thing she remembered before falling asleep was the sound of her mother's voice echoing in her head;

"Here is the place, where I love you."

* * *

"RISE AND SHINE SLEEPYHEADS!" The obnoxious voice of Steve Randle echoed through the quiet little house.

Groaning, Chelsea pulled the covers over her head and buried her face into the pillow.

There was a loud plopping sound as Steve jumped onto the bed and began bouncing on his knees.

"Up! Up! Everyone get up! It's Saturday morning and you all know what that means!" he shouted excitedly like a child on Christmas morning.

"Fuck off Steve," She heard Soda mumble beside her.

Smiling into her pillow she rolled over just as another voice joined the conversation.

"Hey! Don't talk about my boyfriend that way." A girly yet gruff voice exclaimed.

"Evie tell your boyfriend to leave us alone." Darry growled from where he was sleeping.

"Whoa wait, how many of you are in this bed?" Two-Bit shouted.

A second later, the covers were ripped off the bed to the loud groans of Chelsea, Darry and Soda.

"Whoa, you guys all slept in the same bed?!" Steve cried, "that's fucked up!"

Two-Bit chuckled, "Man I'm starved what have you got to eat around here?"

Steve offered to make the eggs but was stopped by Darry who nearly trampled him while getting out of bed, shouting how Steve couldn't make cereal without burning down the house and he sure as hell didn't want him anywhere near the breakfast.

Evie laughed in agreement before pouncing on Chelsea.

Chelsea! I haven't seen you in ages, what's up?"

Chelsea lifted her head, "I'm still sleeping, wake me up in five minutes." Then collapsed her head onto Ponyboy's chest.

Evie frowned for a moment then she looked from Chelsea to Ponyboy repeatedly and noticed the position they were in; their hands still intertwined, their bodies pressed together and mainly, Chelsea's hand on Pony's chest.

Evie's eyes grew the size of saucers and she began to giggle excitedly.

"MARLENE ISABELLA CHELSEA KATHERINE EVANS YOUNG!" She shouted loudly in awe, and from the kitchen a faint call of "Mickey!" was heard causing Chelsea to burst out laughing knowing Two-Bit was the culprit.

"Marl!" Evie exclaimed in mock irritation, using the nickname she had given her in their Home economics class.

"What?" Chelsea asked, honestly confused about why her friend was freaking out.

Evie let out an annoyed huff, "When were you going to tell me that you're dating Ponyboy Curtis?"

Suddenly it got very quiet and before Evie could utter another word, Chelsea clamped her hand on the girl's mouth.

"I swear these boys are worse eavesdroppers than any of the Soc girls." She mumbled, "follow me, we can talk on the porch."

Evie nodded in comprehension then followed her friend out of the house. They sat on the porch swing and Chelsea shut the screen door behind them so they could have privacy from the boys who had been listening in earlier.

"Okay, tell me everything." Evie said, her silver eyes sparkling with anticipation of the story. Her blonde-brown straight hair was pulled into a ponytail showing off her round face which was full of excitement.

Luckily Steve had explained the rumble, and the events which led to it so she didn't have to inform her about too much. Mainly she told her about Ponyboy's confession, their kiss and her acceptance of that fact she did have feelings for her best friend.

When she finished her tale her friend gave her an odd look.

"What?"

"Nothing it's just… I don't know, I guess I always figured you had feelings for Soda." Evie admitted shrugging.

Chelsea frowned, "What makes you think that?"

"Because I know he has feelings for you and you guys are always joking around together; in a different way than you do with Ponyboy. That, and Soda is so much happier when you're around. Honestly, you have no idea the effect you have on that boy. He never smiled half as bright with Sandy as he does with you. If I didn't know any better I'd say he was in love with you."

Chelsea stood up from her seat, "No. He doesn't like me that way Eve, don't put words into my head that aren't true. Soda loved Sandy, he never nor will he ever love me."

Evie shrugged, "Alright but I'm calling it how I see it and I would have to be blind to not see that Sodapop Curtis definitely has feelings for you."

"If he did then he would've asked me out before Ponyboy and we wouldn't be here discussing this." Chelsea snapped.

Evie sighed and smiled; "whatever helps you sleep at night doll."

The girls changed the subject and spoke to each other about the hearing and eventually Darry called them in for breakfast. Well technically it was brunch considering the fact that it was around 1 in the afternoon.

* * *

"Eat your food Pony," Darry said calmly

"Don't tell me what to do." He snapped back.

Chelsea and Soda exchanged unhappy glances while Two-Bit, Steve and Evie gaped at the snark of the once sweet Ponyboy.

Darry sighed in defeat and led his brother back to his room and shut the door behind them. Inviting Ponyboy to brunch with the rest of them had not been that great of an idea.

"How long has he been like this?" Two-Bit asked in a hushed whisper.

"For the past week. The doctor says it's a natural reaction to the deaths of loved ones and we gotta be patient with him but I'm worried he's going to keep pushing everyone away. Darry says he's living in a vacuum, and we gotta get him out of it." Soda explained begrudgingly.

Chelsea nodded sadly, "Not to mention that the trial is coming up soon and he must be freaked out over that."

There was an audible murmur of agreement and Darry joined them at the table.

"You know what, there's been way too much doom and gloom in this house. You guys are young; you should be out having fun, dancing, drinking milkshakes and having fun. Not stuck in here with me and Ponyboy." Darry said with an inspiring smile.

"Darry are you sure? We don't mind staying-" Soda asked and Chelsea nodded emphatically.

The elder Curtis brother smirked, "That's nice of y'all but if you don't get your asses out that door to have some real fun then no chocolate cake for a month."

The boys exchanged terrified glances and Two-Bit, Steve, Chelsea, Soda and Evie got up and ran out of the house so fast they almost left a cloud of dust behind them.

"So the Dingo? Sodapop and I are treating." Steve said putting an arm around his girlfriend as the five of them headed down the street.

Soda rolled his eyes at his friend's assumption but went along with it anyways, and the five friends chatted casually as they made their way to their favorite diner.

* * *

"How are you eating that?" Chelsea remarked as she watched Two-Bit shove an entire cheeseburger into his mouth.

Turning to her, he grinned showing off a mouthful of food. "MMPH MM NMMPH MSH" He mumbled happily.

"Yes I know it's delicious but that's your third one!" she exclaimed in awe. The girl could barely finish one hamburger let alone three. Impressed and bewildered, she and the rest of the group observed as their friend swallowed the burger whole.

"Ta-da!" he jumped up and shouted when his mouth was empty.

Two-Bit received a sarcastic standing ovation then suddenly; he sank back into his chair.

"Uhhh, I don't feel so hot." He mumbled, clutching a hand over his swollen belly.

Steve shook his head, "That's because you practically ate an entire cow you idiot!"

Evie laughed and took a long sip of her root beer

before snuggling close to her boyfriend in their booth.

"I guess there's no dessert for you Two-Bit," Soda taunted as he threw the dessert menu, which they'd been looking through earlier, down.

Two-Bit let out a moan in agony before curling into the fetal position.

"I need alcohol," he said softly.

Smirking, Soda got up from the booth and gestured for Chelsea to follow him. Together they walked across the dance floor where some couples were dancing to some slow song, and towards the counter where they would order dessert for their group.

"What can I get for you honey?" a kind looking middle-aged woman asked from behind the counter.

Sodapop flashed her his 10,000-kilowatt smile. "We'll have 1 hot fudge sundae, 1 butterscotch parfait, rainbow sherbert, and two milkshakes; one chocolate, one strawberry." He recited sweetly as he handed the money to the woman.

"Coming right up," she winked at them before disappearing into the kitchen.

Deciding they would wait for her to return, Sodapop and Chelsea sat down in the swirly stools to talk.

"How've you been?" He asked her earnestly, looking into her hazel green eyes.

The girl sighed, "Not good Soda. It's honestly been a really tough week, for all of us really."

Soda, who was currently spinning around in his chair looked over at her and replied, "Yeah I know what you mean… I hate seeing him like that, it hurts ya know? That there's nothing we can do to help."

The girl nodded, "It sucks. I miss him, Soda. I miss our Ponyboy who could never hurt a fly and digs sunsets, books and movies. I'm worried that he's never coming back."

Sodapop stopped spinning around and stared deeply into her eyes. "Chelsea," he said softly, taking her hands in his, "he will. He'll come around, I promise. You need to stop blaming yourself for what happened. It's not your fault he reacted this way to Randy telling him Johnny's dead. He just needs some time to figure things out."

Chelsea glanced down at her feet in embarrassment. She did blame herself for letting Randy in; she should've said no, or at least stayed in the room with them, or even if she had warned Randy not to say the 'J' word, they wouldn't be in this predicament.

"Hey," Soda's gentle voice said as he cupped her chin, "don't you worry Chels. Everything is gonna be alright."

Out of nowhere there was a shift in the music and the slow song that Chelsea guessed would have been Love Me Tender, changed into a more upbeat song.

"I love this song!" Chelsea remarked, as the jukebox began blaring the music at top volume.

**And now our bodies are oh so close and tight**

**It never felt so good it never felt so right**

**Now we're glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife**

**Glowing like the metal on the edge of a knife**

A bright grin lit up Soda's features and he extended his hand to her. "Wanna dance?"

Nodding ecstatically she took his hand and warned him that she wasn't too good of a dancer before stepping onto the floor with him.

"You can't be that bad," he shrugged as he spun her around the floor.

Grinning the brunette allowed him to lead her in a crazy but exhilarating dance around the diner.

**Though it's cold and lonely in the deep dark night**

**I can see paradise by the dashboard light**

Soda began singing along softly with the lyrics and soon enough the whole diner was loudly shouting the words to the song.

**Ain't no doubt about it we were doubly blessed**

**Cuz we were barely seventeen and we were barely dressed**

A laughing Chelsea gasped in surprise when Soda managed to flip her over his shoulder like the boys did in those dancing movies.

Shocked by his strength, she latched onto his chest tighter in case he decided to pull a breathtaking stunt like that again.

Near the end of the song, everyone was breathless except for Sodapop and Chelsea who were having way too much fun to care how tired they felt.

"NOW I'M PRAYING FOR THE END OF TIME

IT'S ALL THAT I CAN DO OO, OOH!

I'M PRAYING FOR THE END OF TIME

SO I CAN END MY TIME WITH YOU!"

The two of them sang as loud as they could, receiving claps from their friends and cheering from the rest of the diner, which included many people yelling at them to shut up.

Chuckling to themselves, the two friends exchanged exuberant grins.

"You know you've done something great when someone tells you to shut up." Joked Soda with his wild grin.

The girl rolled her eyes but smiled at his playfulness.

Another song began playing on the jukebox with a slower tempo. Assuming they were done dancing for the night, Chelsea began walking back towards the dessert counter but was stopped when Soda grabbed her hand and pulled her to his chest.

Her wide hazel eyes searched his own and he shrugged in explanation.

"I like this song,"

The brunette raised her eyebrows at him but nevertheless went along with it. Allowing him to wrap his arms around her torso.

Guiltily she thought about Ponyboy; would he be mad about the position she was in? Dancing with his older brother to a moderately slow song.

Her face fell. Of course he wouldn't. Right now, he didn't care about her or anyone else. Shutting everyone out to deal with Johnny's death was completely understandable but it didn't make it any less painful. What she wanted more than anything was to help her boy. Seeing him in pain broke her heart and she wished he would just open up to her and tell her what was going on.

However, insecurity nagged her from the inside, whispering that she meant nothing to Ponyboy; after all, he wasn't even sure if he wanted to stay with her or even if he truly did like her.

With an aching heart in her chest weakening her, she leant on Sodapop for support and he helped her steady herself. That's when she realized; he was always there for her; to make her laugh when she wanted to cry, and to be whatever she needed him to be.

They swayed back and forth together in rhythm of the song and softly she heard her dance partner singing the words to the song.

**The way she walks**

**The way she talks**

**How long can I pretend? **

**I'm in love with the girl of my best friend**

Her heart began accelerating as his face came into closer proximity. Somewhere an alarm was going off in her head but she couldn't register it as she'd already lost herself in his eyes.

"Chelsea, I really like you." He admitted, spinning her around, "A lot. You are amazing, and lovely. I think I've had feelings for you since the day we met and made those dumb jokes up about the seven dwarves and Snow White. It was you who helped me get over Sandy, and it was you that was always there for me through everything. Chels, I-"

Suddenly he stopped speaking and with a determined expression on his face, he leaned in to plant a kiss on her mouth.

Luckily, her brain began working again and told her to step back.

His lips hovered over hers for a brief moment before she pushed him away and shook her head. "No, Soda. I'm sorry but I can't."

Looking extremely disappointed, he shoved his hands into his pockets in defeat. "Yeah, I get it."

The girl felt a fit of compassion and smiled at him kindly, "It's not that I don't like you Soda, because I do. Had you asked me out before Pony did I would have said yes, but the problem is; you didn't and I'm with Ponyboy right now, and I'm sorry." She rambled, trying to sound kindhearted.

He shot her a devastated look and sighed. "I know it's wrong, I mean; my brother's girl and all but I do like you Chelsea and I want to be with you always."

A dark chuckle escaped her lips. Wow, the person she's with isn't even sure if he wants to stay with her and the person she isn't with is sure that he wants to stay with her. How backwards is that?

"Don't get me wrong, you're extremely sweet, funny, attractive and I care about you a lot, and I think I might like you too but I-"

Chelsea never managed to finish what she was saying because in that moment her eyes clapped on the teary ones of Ponyboy who was standing in the doorway of the diner, behind Sodapop.

* * *

_*As a special treat for you guys for all of the amazing reviews; the wait time for next chapter is 0-1 days. It will be up within a 24 hour hour time period ;)*_

* * *

**A/N: Can I just say right now that you guys are the best? Honestly the reviews are all amazing and I'm just so happy to have all these reviews! To be honest I haven't been having the best week but you guys just made my week. Please keep up with the reviews! So what are you guys thinking so far? From the reviews I've seen a majority of you want her to be with Ponyboy and I know this chapter may not be too happy but I promise-there's a lot of interesting stuff coming up so stay tuned! :D Thank you thank you! My muse has a lot of ideas and if you keep up the reviews I'll try to post chapters quicker! Please keep reviewing! Thanks!**

**-Love, Melody**

**P.S: Who's missing Dally and Johnny right about now? ;)-let me know :)**

* * *

Songs Used:

Deep in the Meadow-Hunger Games(Rue's lullaby)

Paradise By the Dashboard Light-Meatloaf

The Girl of My Best Friend-Elvis Presley


	16. The Dating Game

** A/N: Guys I'm so sorry this took so long to update- I literally got kidnapped for 24 hours by my friend for her birthday party. Please forgive me!**

_**Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders, all rights belong to S.E Hinton, I only claim ownership of Chelsea and her family.**_

* * *

Chapter 16

"Pony I-" She started, a panic in her voice rising. Soda heard his brother's name and spun around to look where Chelsea was staring, to find Pony.

He immediately felt guilty and rushed to apologize. "I'm sorry buddy, I just couldn't-"

"SORRY? I show up because Darry wants me to apologize to you guys and all I see is you almost kissing my girlfriend and that's all you can say; sorry? No you're not Soda, and don't play dumb either because you've known this entire time that I'm in love with her!" Ponyboy exclaimed angrily at his older brother.

Chelsea's head swam; in love? Had she heard him correctly?

Soda barred his teeth in defense at his younger brother's confrontational tone; "You have a funny way of showing love Ponyboy; for the past week and a half all you've done is ignore her and everyone else you claim to care about! You're lucky you still have her at all because any other girl would have walked away by now!"

That struck a nerve and Ponyboy shoved him furiously, "Well you're making sure she does walk away, aren't you?"

Pissed off, Soda shoved him back, "No! That would be you who's driving her away. It's her choice if she wants to be with me over you."

Both brothers glared at each other with rage in their eyes and Chelsea began to feel sick. The Curtis brothers, who were as thick as thieves, were now fighting over her. How could she have done this to them? It needed to stop.

"Both of you quit it! You can't fight like this in a diner full of people!" she hissed stepping between the two of them.

"Good point Chelsea, this isn't a good place for a fight but you know where is?" Sodapop taunted haughtily, "Outside."

Unwilling to back down from a fight; Ponyboy followed his brother outside while Chelsea repeatedly told them to stop, that they were being ridiculous and she hated seeing them fight, but being as stubborn as they are; neither listened.

Instead they began to scream curses at each other, while throwing odd punches here and there but overall the continued their scream match from earlier.

Two-Bit, Steve, and Evie joined Chelsea outside to watch the brothers fight.

"Who are we cheering for?" Evie asked in a confused whisper to Two-Bit.

The boy shook his head, "It's a tough call."

In disbelief at their lack of concern, Chelsea stared at Steve to see how he was taking the developments.

Steve's mouth was agape and after noticing her staring at him with a desperate expression, he closed his mouth and went up to separate the brothers with minimal assistance from Two-Bit.

"Stop it! You need to relax, both of you." Exclaimed Steve as he grabbed Soda's fists and pulled him away from Ponyboy who was being restrained by Two-Bit. Unfortunately, the brothers continued to argue from afar.

"YOU GET ALL THE GIRLS SODA! WHY COULDN'T YOU JUST LET ME HAVE CHELSEA?"

"BECAUSE I REALLY LIKE HER TOO! WHY CAN'T YOU SEE THAT?"

Infuriated yet at the same time flattered by their fighting over her, Chelsea didn't know what to say to get them to stop. Telling Ponyboy that she loved him and he had nothing to worry about was a lie, because she did have feelings for Soda. Feelings that she'd never acknowledged until a few moments ago out of the belief that Soda would never like her back. Now that he claimed to like her, her emotions had been all over the place and in result; she couldn't think properly.

"Okay that's enough." Evie said as she joined her boyfriend in separating the two brothers.

"You two obviously like Chelsea a lot and I know it's tough but you are brothers! You have to stop this and think rationally for long enough to sort this out civilly." She continued.

Pony glared at Soda, "There's no sorting this out, Chelsea is my girlfriend; end of story."

"Why don't we let her decide?!" Steve shouted in suggestion, exasperated from all the stupid fighting.

All eyes were on Chelsea, who had a terrified and confused expression on her face.

"I don't know!" she finally cried out, "if I chose one I lose the other and I care about you guys too much to say goodbye to one of you. Please, I can't do this right now. I need time."

Ponyboy and Sodapop's faces softened seeing the girl they both cared about in distress. Both boys began to feel foolish; fighting over her was causing her a lot of stress and that was the last thing anyone needed. Besides, both of them couldn't stand to see Chelsea sad.

"Of course Chelsea," said Ponyboy smiling sympathetically; "take all the time you need."

Sodapop nodded, "We just want you to be happy."

With gratitude in her hazel eyes, she smiled back at them and for a while no one said anything.

"So now what?" Steve asked, looking around at his friends.

"how about this," Two-Bit pitched in exhaustion, "we all go home, get some rest and after the trial Chelsea can decide what she wants to do."

Everyone agreed having realized how late it had become. They grabbed their desserts, paid the bill and headed home sombrely.

* * *

The days following went by in a blur of nerves, tension in preparation for the trial. Chelsea silently promised that she wouldn't involve herself with either of the brothers until she made her decision which ended up working to her advantage when Darry sheepishly told her that she needed to move out for a week.

She completely understood though; the press would be swarming the place and there would be social workers poking their noses in everywhere they could. Darry knew it would be harder to keep Ponyboy and Sodapop out of a boys' home if he was forced to explain why a girl from the rich side of town was sleeping on his couch.

Lucky for her, Two-Bit offered to take her in, seeing as she couldn't go home.

* * *

On the day of the trial she was anxious for the boys. Part of her wished she could be there with them for it but another part of her knew that she couldn't be with them. Ponyboy needed to focus on winning this trial, not on her.

Impatiently, she paced outside of the courthouse while Two-Bit watched her. The boy was smoking a cigarette while sitting on the railing of the building. He wore his favorite Mickey Mouse shirt and jeans while Chelsea wore a pink dress that had short sleeves, went down to mid-thigh, and the pattern went from dark pink at the top to light pink. Her brown hair was brushed to the side and wavy. On her feet she wore nude high heels.

"Will you relax?" Two-Bit said shaking his head at her anxiousness, "Darry's going to get full custody and Ponyboy is innocent so it's not like we have to worry about anything."

Chelsea sighed and sat down beside him. "I can't help but worry, it's one of the things I'm best at."

Smirking Two-Bit gave her a lit cigarette. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"No thank you."

"Just have one! I promise, it'll settle your nerves." He insisted, still shoving the cancer stick in her face.

Begrudgingly, she took the cigarette from him and tried to smoke it but ended up inhaling all the smoke into her lungs and coughing.

"Not like that!" Two-Bit laughed as he took another cigarette out of his pack to light, "watch me."

The girl watched with rapt interest as he inhaled the smoke but blew it out in a cool smoke ring that she'd always seen Ponyboy and Dallas do.

Two-Bit handed her another cigarette and she took it; about to inhale the smoke when suddenly the doors of the courthouse opened and the Curtis brothers emerged with radiant smiles.

"So?" Chelsea asked with a bright smile on her face, as she stepped down from the banister to greet them.

Darry beamed; "Defendant not guilty and I have full custody of both these crazy kids."

Delighted, the girl threw her arms around the three brothers. "I'm so happy for you all!" she exclaimed, hugging them tight.

When they all broke apart she saw the disappointment and longing in both Soda and Pony's eyes then scolded herself internally for hugging them.

"Why don't we get some lunch?" Two-Bit offered, jumping off the banister to congratulate his friends.

They all agreed and Darry relayed the entire trial to Two-Bit and Chelsea as they walked to some fast food place for lunch.

* * *

At the place they met up with Steve and Evie, who immediately pulled Chelsea aside upon seeing her.

"What Eve?" she asked tiredly.

Before Evie could speak Chelsea cut her off.

"No I haven't decided on a Curtis brother yet, please stop asking me this question everyday."

Rolling her eyes Evie smirked, "Actually I have an idea on how to help you with making this decision…"

Intrigued, Chelsea cocked her head and crossed her arms.

Taking that as a willingness to listen, Evie continued.

"So remember how you were saying that you couldn't decide because you and Pony have history but Soda and you don't really. Also, Pony doesn't know where he wants this relationship to go while Soda does? What if we do a trial run with both of them?"

The brunette stared at her blonde friend in surprise. "What?"

"It's simple really," Evie gushed, "you go on two dates with each boy-a group date and a solo date then at the end of these dates you make the decision of who you'd rather be dating! It's brilliant!"

Nodding slowly, Chelsea thought over what Evie had said.

"Actually, it kinda makes sense; but I don't think they'll be too keen on doing this Evie."

"Please," Evie retorted rolling her eyes, "they love you and they'd be willing to do anything to be yours."

Unsatisfied with the answer, the girl shrugged-giving in and allowing Evie to explain the idea to the rest of the boys after they all ate.

* * *

"Just to be clear you want us both to date her?!" Sodapop exclaimed in dsbelief.

After finishing their meal, Evie had explained her idea to everyone on how Chelsea could choose which boy she wanted to be with. As expected, none of the boys really liked the idea of sharing too much and voiced their complaints.

"You're not sharing her per say," Evie elaborated, "you're both working together to determine who she feels she would be more compatible with."

"I thought we already discussed that she was with me." Ponyboy interjected angrily.

Evie waved him off, "Yes well that was before she realized Soda had feelings for her too. It's only fair we give you both an equal opportunity to win her heart."

Darry, who had been listening intently to the conversation, spoke up; "Maybe there should be some ground rules for the boys and Chelsea to follow."

The girls exchanged understanding glances and nodded.

"How about no sex," Two-Bit piped with a smirk on his face.

Darry shot him a warning glance before saying; "No sabotaging each other's dates."

"Kissing is allowed?" Steve asked everyone.

"Sure." Ponyboy shrugged, and Soda nodded in compliance.

"No comparing dates or telling the other person about the other date." Evie added sternly.

"Are we all agreed then?" Chelsea asked looking over Ponyboy and Sodapop with concern in her hazel eyes.

The boys nodded then turned to each other.

"Good luck," they mumbled to each other.

"Now the contestants shake hands!" Evie said smiling and everyone gave her an incredulous look.

She frowned, "What?"

"This isn't a game Evie." Darry said soflty.

"Someone's been reading too much reader's digest lately." Chelsea chimed in shaking her head at the girl's eagerness.

Evie rolled her grey eyes. "Whatever. Also, the first date starts Friday; Ponyboy goes first with a group date, then Soda and so on."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Two-Bit smiled, "Okay now for the rest of the week let's just pretend we're all friends and that this isn't going on alright?"

Sodapop and Ponyboy exchanged anxious glances.

"Come on you two," Darry coaxed, "don't let this come between you. You're both better than this."

Soda peered out of the corner of his eye at his younger brother who let out a sigh.

"Okay." He mumbled and Soda grinned.

They hugged it out and Chelsea smiled brightly, glad to see they were still on decent terms. Saying a silent prayer, she hoped that they would remain this way and that she didn't come between them. Their friendship meant more than her and she didn't want them to lose it. They were family after all and families stick together for better or for worse.

* * *

The rest of the evening passed with veryone having a pretty good time as they joked around with the rest of their food and when the time came to leave-everyone was in high spirits. Chelsea, who was still avoiding the Curtis house due to the nosy reporters and social workers, climbed into the guest bed at Two-Bit's house and stared at the ceiling.

Her mind wandered as she began thinking about the dates lined up for her. Right now, she could not pick a boy that she liked better. It was impossble! They were both wonderful but in their own unique ways. Ponyboy had that special part of him the beautified everything around him- he was a diamond in the rough. However, Sodapop was such a charistmatic and bubbly person that you couldn't help but love how exciting he was.

Shaking her head free of those confusing thoughts, she pulled out one of the books she had purchased from the gift shop when Johnny was in the hospital; Pride and Prejudice.

She emersed herself in the book and made it about halfway before her mind began to acknowledge all the emotions she felt about the two boys. Her thoughts were flying all over the place and she couldn't even think properly.

"I am so screwed!" she whispered and buried her face into the pillow before falling fast asleep.

This was going to be a tough few weeks…

* * *

**A/N: Thank you guys so much for your continuted support-I don't know what I'd do without you! Let me know if you have any ideas or requests. What do you think about the 'dating game?" Evie set up? Who will get Chelsea? Pony or Soda? I really hope you guys enjoyed this chapter-it's a little short and I'm sorry it was later than expected but thank you all for sticking with me. Keep up the amazing reviews! Thank you so much! Have a wonderful week my lovelies and I shall be updating soon. ;)**

**First up-Ponyboy's Group Date.**

**Also, I'd love to know some suggestions for dates if you have any ;) I have some in my head but I'd still love to hear from you guys!**

**-Love, Melody**


	17. Ghosts and Stuff

_Disclaimer: I do not own the Outsiders all rights belong to their owners and I take ownership only of Chelsea and her family._

***A/N* I usually listen to music when I'm writing or reading fics so I thought I'd list the songs I imagined as background music while writing the following chapters-so from now on at the top I'll post the song names :) Thanks and enjoy!**

* * *

_Songs:_

_-Kiss Goodnight-Tyler Shaw_

_-Bump in the Night-Allstars (when they go into the mansion)_

* * *

Chapter 17

Ponyboy walked into his school and sighed. He'd missed about 2 weeks of classes and midterms were already starting, it would be nearly impossible for him to catch up now.

He continued walking down the corridor and hid a slight smile. Secretly, he was glad to be back at school and was hoping that with its daily structure-normalcy would return to his life and things could go back to the way they were. Also, being back made him a little happy because he actually kinda liked school. Pony enjoyed learning about new things and he never went a day without having acquired an interesting piece of information he could share. Like, just a year ago in his Biology class he had learned that the average human being has 206 bones in their body, and that same day Tony; a friend of his, managed to break 26 of them after an anvil fell on his foot.

"Hey Pony, you're back!" A friend of his called out from their lockers.

His eyes made contact with his friends and he hurried over to them.

"Hey guys," he smiled, "how are you?"

The three boys; Frank, Joe and Tony grinned back at him and they discussed everything that had occurred over the past week while Ponyboy had been gone.

"So where's your girlfriend?" Joe asked, playfully shoving his friend.

Ponyboy felt his lips curve into a smile upon hearing the words 'your girlfriend' but sighed when he recalled the current predicament he was facing.

"She's on some class field trip today or something, but when she comes back at the end of the day we're going on a date and I need your help with it."

His friends looked taken aback.

"What do you want our help for? She's your girlfriend." Frank replied frowning at the odd request.

"Yeah, but this date… It needs to be special; it's a group thing and I want her to really like it." Ponyboy explained, conveniently leaving out that he was competing with Sodapop for Chelsea's affection.

Tony looked into the distance; appearing to be deep in thought and Ponyboy held his breath hoping his friend would offer up an idea he could use.

"I got nothin'" Tony mumbled after a long silence and the boys made their way to their classes.

* * *

The day passed by uneventfully while Pony attempted to learn everything his teachers had taught while he was away. Unfortunately, Mr. Syme, his English teacher was absent so he'd have to get his notes another time.

At the end of the day he was on his way to meet up with his friends in order walk home from school but was surprised to find Chelsea, who had returned early from her class trip, sitting on a bench reading

"Hey!" Ponyboy exclaimed smiling at the brunette who was engrossed in The Odyssey. Her hair was twisted into a bun and she wore a short khaki skirt with black Mary-Janes and a royal blue top.

The girl looked up and smiled back at him. "Hi! How was your first day back?"

He shrugged, "It was fine I guess. I still can't believe Darry forced me to go back on a Friday."

Chelsea nodded sympathetically knowing the transition would be rough at first. "So are we still on for tonight?"

"Yep! I'll be at Two-Bit's around 6 tonight, alright?"

"Alright!" she grinned and leaned forward to kiss him on the cheek before getting up to find Two-Bit for a ride.

Ponyboy watched her go sadly. He missed her a lot, and knew that this date tonight had to go perfectly or he'd lose her.

There was the sound of snickering behind him and Ponyboy turned around to see his friends standing together nearby and laughing at his expense.

"Man, are you whipped!" Frank said, stepping forward to thump his friend on the back.

Ponyboy frowned at them, told them to shut it and then they all began to walk home together. The boys chatted as they made their way home and followed Tony who made a detour through an open field where an abandoned mansion lay.

As they passed the house Joe piped up. "You know, they say the mansion is haunted. There's been reports of people seeing a woman in a white dress and a man with no head."

"That's bullshit. No one's seen anything you liar." Tony retorted, rolling his eyes while the other boys remained staring at the dusty looking mansion.

Ponyboy grinned remembering how much Chelsea adored the supernatural.

"I think you guys just gave me the best idea for a date…"

* * *

Chelsea smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she readied herself for the group date that night. Two-Bit, and his date were going to join them that night on what Pony had described as an 'overnight mystery date' but she was told to dress warmly and bring a flashlight by Two-Bit who got off the phone with Pony and Darry moments ago.

Excitedly the girl had chosen to wear a pair of jeans with a dark purple sweatshirt that fell off the shoulders, black flats and a large leather overcoat. Her hair was left in waves and she applied make-up to be soft and sparkly. She made sure to cover up the scars and bruises she still had from her father, which were slowly fading and thanked the Lord that she was away from all the physical abuse.

"Mickey, you ready?" Two-Bit's voice called from behind the bathroom door. As the social workers were due any day now, she was still staying with Two-Bit.

"Yeah!" she called back and he opened the door to reveal himself standing in a leather jacket, undershirt and jeans with his date beside him.

The girl was greaser; that much was clear from the way she dressed. She wore a leather jacket over a plaid shirt, with dark jeans, black motorcycle boots and her hair pulled into a ponytail with a red handkerchief as a headband.

Two-Bit grinned at Chelsea and ran into the bathroom while pushing her out, mumbling something about fixing his hair.

The brunette rolled her eyes. What was it with boys and their hair?!

She then turned to face Two-Bit's date; whose arms were crossed while watching Chelsea with an intrigued expression.

"Hi!" Chelsea beamed, extending her hand in a friendly gesture to the girl, "I'm Chelsea, what's your name?"

The girl looked from Chelsea's extended hand to her grin and squinted in response, scrutinizing the Soc girl's overly cheerful appearance.

"My name is Tiffany." She responded in an indifferent voice as Chelsea retracted her hand and blushed.

Confused, she observed the figure in front of her. This was the girl Two-Bit was taking on a date? She seemed to be more aloof and resolute rather than bubbly and passionate-the type of girls he normally associated himself with. She wasn't a pure blonde either! Her hair was light, golden-brown, which was puzzling because it was blondes Two-Bit had an affinity for.

"How do you know Two-Bit?" the girl asked bluntly, still glaring at Chelsea with her arms crossed.

"Uh, well, we're friends, and we have mutual friends." She replied sheepishly as she began playing with her hair.

Tiffany nodded in comprehension, but continued to carry out her cold façade.

The other girl breathed a sigh of relief when Two-Bit finally emerged from the bathroom; putting an end to the awkward silence they were currently undergoing.

"Oh hey! Mickey-Tiffany; Tiffany this is my buddy Chelsea but I call her Mickey because that's what her initials spell." He elaborated, introducing the two girls.

The ice queen, Tiffany, melted and grinned widely upon hearing to the boy's explanation.

"Really?" She asked, looking back at Chelsea, "that's a riot!"

Chelsea cocked an eyebrow at the girl's quick-changing mood but elaborated, "Yep, Marlene Isabella Chelsea Evans Young-that's my name."

Tiffany counted off her fingers and mumbled under her breath as if she was trying to uncover the answer to a difficult math problem; but then soon lifted her head and smiled at her date once she understood that Two-Bit was right and Chelsea's initials did spell-

"Mickey!" the greaser girl exclaimed with glee.

Two-Bit smirked and wrapped his arm around her. They began walking down the hallway together then Two-Bit stopped abruptly and turned around to face the girl he'd left.

"Oh, I was supposed to tell you; Ponyboy is at the door."

Chelsea cursed him out under her breath and ran past the love birds to answer the door of the boy who had been kept waiting long enough.

"You look amazing!" Ponyboy gushed as he watched her approach him.

She giggled at his compliment and heard Tiffany groan behind her.

"I'm ready, let's go!" Chelsea said uncomfortably, taking Ponyboy by the hand and leaving the house with Two-Bit and Tiffany in pursuit.

* * *

Their evening was pleasant as the four of them chatted. Well, Chelsea chatted with Ponyboy and Tiffany chatted with Two-Bit as the girls hadn't warmed up to each other yet.

Eventually they grew tired of walking such a long distance to what seemed like nowhere.

"Ponyboy," Two-Bit whined, "where are we going?"

"We're almost there," he called in response as he angled his flashlight to see the trail better.

"Where's there?" Tiffany asked, leaning her head on Two-Bit's shoulder.

"It's close" Pony replied over his shoulder. Two-Bit and Tiffany both groaned in response simultaneously.

The night air was colder than Chelsea had expected. She shivered and huddled closer to Ponyboy for warmth. Her head leant against his chest and one arm wrapped around his torso.

"You cold?" he asked with concern in his voice.

She smiled, "I'm okay."

He cocked his head at her doubtfully and she laughed.

"Okay, maybe I'm a little cold." She admitted and he smiled in satisfaction before pulling her closer against him and taking her hand in his.

Impressed, Chelsea smiled and they continued on.

* * *

After a few more minutes, Ponyboy stopped short causing Two-Bit and Tiffany-who were directly behind them, to crash into the two.

"We're here!" Ponyboy exclaimed pointing directly ahead.

The gang looked up and aimed their flashlights at the giant house he was gesturing towards.

"This?! This is where we're spending the date?" Two-Bit shouted in terror.

Ponyboy ignored him and turned to face Chelsea who wore an amused expression on her face.

"It's haunted," he explained and then he smiled at her immediate response.

"Haunted? This is going to be awesome!" the brunette exclaimed excitedly, throwing her arms around him.

Tiffany smiled and nudged her date. "This could be fun."

Two-Bit sighed.

"What's the matter? Scared?" taunted Chelsea; her hazel green eyes flashing in merriment.

He shook his head emphatically, "No! I'm just not particularly fond of that after-life stuff."

"Lighten up Two-Bit!" Tiffany said patting his back before adding, "c'mon guys; let's roll."

Everyone headed up the driveway of the haunted mansion with delight and anticipation. Chelsea was surprised at the greaser girl's determination and fascination with the mansion.

The front door was unlocked as the house had been abandoned for the past 30 or something years. The four kids shuffled inside and Ponyboy took the lead, flashing his light ahead for his friends to follow. Chelsea clung onto his arm nervously as she glanced around the darkened house.

It was eerily quiet, not to mention extremely dark. The sun had already set in the distance but the sky remained a faint pink while the interior of the house was pitch black except for the four beams emanating from their flashlights.

Once the group reached the main staircase; Ponyboy released Chelsea's hand and took a step up the stairs before turning around to face his friends while aiming the flashlight at his face so it was visible.

"I did a little research at the library before we came and I learned a few things. First; this house is 50 years old, It was built sometime in the early 1900's- 1910's and during the 1920's it was inhabited by the Blanchard family. In 1940, when people were being recruited to fight in World War II, a young newlywed couple was living here; Mary and David Blanchard. David was recruited for the navy and left his pregnant wife behind to fight, but he promised to return. Unfortunately, his ship was attacked and sunk by Germans and he left Mary an unknowingly pregnant widow. Sometime later, the baby was delivered stillborn. Mary never got over her grief and hung herself right there-in that room." Ponyboy nodded towards the parlor room currently in shambles.

The group looked at the wreckage of the once elegant room then returned their gazes to their friend who continued his tale.

"They say she still haunts this very house, wandering aimlessly. Waiting for her true love to return to her. However, there's a bit of a twist to our story. You see before Mary and David there was another spirit haunting these grounds; a banshee. A creature with a fearsome cry that foretells the death of a person in the house."

Suddenly, a terrible scream was heard. Chelsea jumped up and Tiffany shrieked loudly.

Two-Bit burst into laughter at his friend's expressions. "You guys are too easy! Geez!"

Ponyboy, whose face had paled; scowled at Two-Bit. "You scared us half to death!"

"TWO-BIT!"

Tiffany roared; bursting into hysterical laughter and gently began pummeling his arm with her fists.

The sneer on Two-Bit's face grew into a smile and he wrapped his arms around the giggling girl and kissed her cheek.

"Hahahaha! See! Tiff enjoys my humor." Two-Bit replied with a gloating smile.

Chelsea, who had unconsciously jumped into Ponyboy's arms, blushed and stepped away from him while Ponyboy smiled and rolled his eyes at Two-Bit.

"Let's go upstairs." He suggested, taking Chelsea's hand again to lead her.

Two-Bit shrugged and followed them up with Tiffany close beside him.

"So what are we going to do?" Chelsea asked, swinging the hand that was intertwined with Pony's.

He smiled, "Whatever we want."

The girl grinned at this and they walked into the nearest room, which happened to be a sitting room complete with some moldy couches, and crumbling tables.

All of them filed in and sat down by the couches.

Ponyboy stood up suddenly, "I gotta grab the blankets and stuff I left downstairs. Stay here and I'll be back."

They nodded and watched him leave.

"Lordy it's cold!" remarked Two-Bit, rubbing his hands up and down his arms for warmth.

Tiffany glanced over towards the empty fireplace; "What if you make a fire?" she suggested with a smile.

Her date smirked and pulled his lighter out of his pocket before setting off to find kindling to make a fire.

Chelsea and Tiffany huddled together for heat.

"Two-Bit's right, it's fucking freezing." Chelsea cursed to the surprise of the other girl.

"Whoa," Tiffany exclaimed, staring at the brunette, "I never thought I'd hear you swear."

Chelsea frowned, "What are you talking about? I swear pretty often."

The other girl laughed, "No I mean, and I'm sorry about thinking this, but I had you pegged as that stereotypical 'goody two shoes' Soc girl. Not this; looks like a Soc, but is half-greaser, half-soc, girl."

She smiled in amusement, "Yeah, I get that a lot."

Once differences were put aside; the girls actually began to chat and enjoy themselves.

"So you live with Two-Bit?" Tiffany asked, with a little jealousy surfacing in her voice.

Chelsea nodded, "Yes but it's only temporary, and me and Two-Bit-" they both turned around to stare at the boy who was cursing under his breath while attempting to flick his lighter on.

"we're like siblings. He's one of my best friends and I can tell that he likes you a lot. Honestly! Two-Bit has an affinity for platinum blondes and you're a light-haired brunette which tells me that he must really adore you if he took you on a date."

Tiffany grinned and blushed, "Thank you, I really like him."

"No problem." Chelsea smiled, then stood up, "I wonder where Ponyboy's run off to."

Tiffany followed her to the doorway and they both trained their flashlights down the hallway.

"Ponyboy!" Chelsea called, but was greeted by silence.

The other girl tapped her shoulder. "Chelsea, what's that?"

"What's what?"

"That." Tiffany repeated, gesturing towards the end of the hallway.

Both girls slowly stepped into the corridor and aimed the light on a shadowy figure.

"Oh my God that's THE GHOST!" Chelsea yelled, and Tiffany screeched at the top of her lungs as the figure in a black cloak began slowly advancing towards them.

The two girls ran back into the room as fast as they could, causing Two-Bit to spring into action.

"What? What's wrong?" he asked, looking at the terrified expressions of both girls.

Neither of them could speak out of sheer shock but only gestured towards the doorway.

He stepped over to where the girls where pointing and gasped when he too saw the shadowy figure.

"WHAT THE HELL!" He cried at the top of his lungs as the figure leant in close to him and whispered. "David?"

The three kids screamed loudly until laughter began to echo throughout the room.

"That was funny!" Ponyboy chuckled as he removed his shadowy figure costume and stepped away from an almost in tears Two-Bit.

"THAT WAS NOT FUNNY!" Two-Bit shouted, shoving Ponyboy away from him.

Tiffany crossed her arms. "Dude," she replied shaking her head, "that was terrifying."

Ponyboy gazed over at Chelsea who was still hiding behind Tiffany. "Well this whole date theme was for Chelsea- the spooky location, ghost stories and dress-up so it doesn't matter to me what you think, only what she does."

She came out from behind her new friend to smile at him. "That was amazing! I can't believe you managed to pull this whole thing off. Ponyboy you are the best!"

Chelsea then threw herself at him and kissed his lips softly.

"Ahem," coughed someone and the couple broke apart to see Two-Bit cocking his eyebrow at them while Tiffany smiled fondly.

Pony and Chelsea exchanged gratified glances then settled down on the ground to sit by the fire, which Two-Bit had started.

"What should we do now?" The brunette asked while reclining her body so she was lying down with her head in Ponyboy's lap.

"How about we have a séance?" Tiffany suggested, snuggling herself closer to her date.

Chelsea brightened, "Sounds like a plan!"

The four friends arranged themselves in a circle.

Chelsea turned to face her friends. "We need a match or something."

Two-Bit pulled out his lighter and handed it to Chelsea while Tiffany grabbed an antique candelabrum from the sitting room table and gave it to the girl.

"Thanks," she replied as she lit one of the candles with the lighter and placed it into the center of their circle.

The girl then held out her arms, "everyone join hands and close your eyes."

They obeyed her and Chelsea began to speak. "If there are any spirits here, we welcome them to join us. Is anyone here?"

Silence echoed throughout the house.

"Are any spirits interested in speaking with us? If so, please make yourself known." she repeated in a steady voice.

Still, there was silence.

Two-Bit chortled, "Well this is poin-"

A crash of thunder sounded and lightning illuminated the entire room for a moment before it became dark again.

"Wha-wha-what happened to the fire?" Tiffany asked, her gold-green eyes wide with fear.

The rest of the group turned their heads to the now smoking fireplace where Two-Bit had previously built a strong fire.

"Fuck," Two-Bit whispered just seconds before the candle in the center of the group went out.

Everyone screamed loudly then stood up to press their faces against the windows to see how bad the storm outside was.

"It's really storming." Remarked Ponyboy, his arms around a shaking Chelsea.

The other boy snorted, "I'll say! It's raining cats and dogs. No wonder the fire went out. The rain got in here somehow."

"There's someone outside the house!" Cried Tiffany, pointing out the glass window.

Chelsea and Ponyboy looked to where the girl was pointing while Two-Bit walked over to where his girl was standing.

On the grounds of the mansion there appeared to be a woman in her twenties, pacing in front of the house and wearing a long white dress.

Chelsea gasped and clapped a hand to her mouth.

"What's wrong?" Two-Bit asked, watching her horrified expression become one of immense relief.

The girl snickered, "It looks just like Mary Blanchard- the girl in the story Pony told us- meaning it's just another trick. Right Pony?"

All eyes were on the blond boy whose face had paled.

"Guys," he began, lifting his hands up in surrender, "it's not me. I swear."

Tiffany chuckled nervously, "Two-Bit, did you set this up to scare us?"

The boy shook his head, "I didn't even know we would be coming here tonight."

Everyone exchanged frightened glances and huddled closer together in fear.

"Maybe it's just a neighbor?" Offered Chelsea, who had Ponyboy's arms wrapped protectively around her chest.

Two-Bit responded, "No, we're in the middle of nowhere. Besides, who would bother coming here in the middle of the night?"

"It's the ghost of Mary Blanchard." Tiffany breathed in astonishment but Ponyboy gulped.

"I made that whole story up," he explained nervously, "I didn't have time to research the house so I made up some bogus story about it being haunted so Chelsea would find it more interesting for our date."

His girl blinked in surprise then smiled warmly before planting a soft kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, it really has been an amazing date." She whispered.

He grinned but then Tiffany-who was standing on his other side emitted an alarmed cry.

The ghostly woman outside had made eye contact with the four teenagers who were staring out the window and smiled sinisterly at them.

Her eyes were as bright red as rubies and her body was transparent. She winked at them before letting out a loud cackle and vanishing before their eyes.

"AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!" The four kids shouted as they backed away from the windows as fast as they could.

Two-Bit grabbed Tiffany and ran to hide behind one of the couches in the room while Chelsea and Ponyboy dove into the pile of blankets they had brought and burrowed themselves deep under the covers for protection. Out of sheer terror, none of them left their hiding places or spoke.

Eventually, they all managed to relax and slowly drift to sleep in their hiding places; Tiffany fell asleep nestled in the space between Two-Bit's arm and torso while he held her close for comfort.

Chelsea had rested her head on Ponyboy's chest and fell asleep there while he wrapped his arms around her warm body-their legs intertwined.

* * *

The next morning the four of them awoke to the sound of birds singing and sat up, remembering what had occurred the night before.

"What happened last night?" Tiffany asked yawning as Two-Bit sat up and began to stretch out his arms.

"What happened was that we saw a ghost and all of you freaked the fuck out." He elaborated, chuckling to himself.

"Hey! At least I didn't get so scared people had to drag me away because I was frozen in fear." Chelsea retorted harshly as she gently cuddled herself closer to her boy.

Ponyboy laughed, "She's right, and you scream like a girl Two-Bit."

"You know, I liked it better when you two were too preoccupied with each other's lips to speak." He replied in an annoyed tone.

They giggled and sat up from their nest of blankets. "Well I'm starving, I don't know about you guys but I think we should head home for breakfast." Ponyboy said as he got to his feet and helped Chelsea up.

"I'll make pancakes!" she said with a bright smile.

Two-Bit and Tiffany jumped up, "Sure," they both said and everyone left the haunted house together to head to the Curtis residence for some pancakes.

* * *

"Is Darry gonna be mad?" Chelsea whispered to Ponyboy as they descended the main staircase to leave the mansion together.

He shook his head, "Nah, I cleared things up with him before I left and that we might stay out all night."

Satisfied with his answer Chelsea smiled and took his hand in hers.

"Let's hurry up, this place is freaky." Tiffany said, shivering at their surroundings.

"Don't worry baby," Two-Bit declared, wrapping an arm around her as they stepped onto the main floor, "if anything tries to grab you-I'll protect you!"

"After he screams like a girl first." Ponyboy whispered into Chelsea's ear, making her shake with silent laughter.

Tiffany, who hadn't head what was said, laughed and threw her arms around Two-Bit, "My hero!" she cried before kissing him.

Ponyboy and Chelsea shrugged and opened the front door to the vast open fields to begin their trek home.

* * *

"Chelsea," Ponyboy asked after a while.

"Mmhmm?" She murmured in response.

"How did you like the date?"

"It was wonderful." She replied with a dreamy smile on her lips.

He relaxed his muscles a bit, "Really? Okay good because that was the first date I've ever planned."

She stopped and looked at him in surprise. "Well, you did an amazing job and I absolutely loved being with you."

Grinning, he pressed a kiss to her cheek then allowed Chelsea to lift their entwined hands and point at the light sky.

"I love when the sun rises and the sky stays that pretty shade of pink and orange. Have you ever seen such a beautiful view?" The girl sighed.

"Oh I don't know Chelsea, that view is nothing compared to the gorgeous view I've got." He mumbled and she moved her gaze from the sky to find what he was looking at, only to discover that it was her he meant as 'the view'.

Blushing in flattery, she kissed his lips and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Once they pulled apart, they resumed walking only to stop quickly when they realized that they had neared the Curtis house and Chelsea turned to see that Tiffany and Two-Bit were further behind them, making out.

"I love spending time with you." Pony explained and his girl grinned.

**"**Me too, Pony, me too." Chelsea replied leaning her head on his shoulder.

He smirked, "It's really too bad that we didn't get any spirits to actually communicate with us."

"Yeah, it's too-" The brunette stopped short and her face paled.

"Chelsea? Chelsea what's wrong?" Ponyboy asked, waving a hand in front of her face.

Chelsea was frightened because Ponyboy was wrong- they had been able to contact a spirit and that spirit was standing right in front of them wearing jeans, a blue plaid shirt with a leather jacket and smoking a cigarette.

Her eyes widened in fear and recognition as she whispered the ghost's name.

"Dallas."

* * *

**A/N: _Is it a ghost? Is Dallas really back? What do you guys think?! And what did you think of Chelsea and Ponyboy's group date? Please leave a review and let me know! Next chapter is Sodapop and Chelsea's group date._**

**Thank you to everyone who has taken the time to read and review-you're all amazing! Chocolate cakes for everyone-unless you prefer Vanilla :P. I'll try to update as soon as I can :)**

**-Love, Melody**


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